A Poison That Leaves No Trace
by The REAL Mrs. Jasper Cullen
Summary: What do you get when you have a moody teenage girl, a hormonal, hyper-active teenage boy, and a nice, big family of vampires? A whole lot of crazy. E&B, Em&R, J&OC, A&OC.
1. Just A Dream

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter One:

Just a Dream

**Disclaimer: All things Twilight are Stephenie Meyer's. I just added some characters and messed with the storyline.**

_Piercing black eyes stared back at her from the forest shadows, making the girl stumble back into a large, wide tree. The creature before her let out a low, terrifying growl that seemed to echo through the forest and began to slowly inch forward. She pressed back against the tree, willing her body to merge into the cool bark and squeezed her eyes shut tight. Suddenly, the forest seemed oddly silent – perhaps too silent? Daring to open one eye into a slit, her jaw dropped open into a silent scream. The so-called monster stood just inches away, close enough for her to brush that chunk of hair out of it's mesmerizing yet terrifying black eyes…at that moment, she realized that 'it' was in fact a 'he' and that 'he' kept coming closer and closer. She expected a rush of fear to overcome her when he stood near enough that she could feel his breath on her skin, but felt only calm._

_Then, as his warm, sweet breath tickled her face and his ice cold fingers swept her long ebony hair away from her neck, both of her eyes shot open in terror and her heart jumped into her throat. It was at this point in which the girl noticed she was holding her breath, watching him with wide eyes, anticipating his next move. When he started to lift her hand, the girl gasped and watched him, a horrified expression on her face. He put his nose to the inside of her wrist and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he did so. He mumbled something, but it was far too fast and jumbled for her to make any sense of it. _

_The corners of his mouth twitched and a mischievous grin suddenly broke across his stone-like features and before she knew it, his hands were at the base of her throat, and a horrible pain filled her entire body. Her mouth opened as if ready to release a blood-curling scream, but all that came out was a tiny squeak. "Stop it!" She whispered with the breath she'd been holding, managing to force the words out of her mouth. The monster at her throat simply laughed. She put her hands against his cold, cold chest as if to push him away, but even her strongest effort couldn't budge him. Her heart began to beat faster and faster, and finally the absolute terror hit. The girl tried once again to scream at the top of her lungs and was, once again, unsuccessful. She felt the blood – literally – drain her face and her breath began to come in short, panicked gasps. Suddenly she felt strangely light headed and then her vision started to go black…_

**Alex's POV**

"…lex! Alex, honey, wake up!" My forest green orbs snapped open to see a pair of familiar dark brown, nearly black eyes staring worriedly down at me. I jumped and covered my face as vivid images from my nightmare came rushing back to me. After a few seconds I peeked through my fingers and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Dad." I muttered, putting a hand over my mouth to stifle a yawn. _Just pretend like nothing happened. It was only a dream, that's all. Just a silly little dream._

"I heard you yelling in here. Is everything okay?"

I nodded. "Just had a bad dream. That's all." _Yes, a very bad, very freaky dream. _I thought, reaching up to rub the sleep from my eyes.

"Ok, well go back to bed, Alex. We have to leave really early if we're gonna get to the airport in enough time to catch the 7 am flight to Seattle." I struggled to sit up and glared at him through my long, thick eyelashes.

"Well then I will sleep until the plane is already gone." My dad, David, narrowed his eyes at me.

"Alex, we've already been over this. I'm sure you'll love Forks and it's only a couple of hours away from Seattle. If you weren't so cranky all the time, making friends would be easy for you." I just rolled my eyes and flopped back on the bed.

"Whatever, Dad." _And if you weren't such an arrogant asshole, I might not hate you. _I thought to myself as Dad sighed and rose to exit the nearly empty room. With a yawn, I rolled back onto my side and closed my eyes, attempting to sleep.

It seemed that the instant I fell asleep, however, a very loud, extremely annoying beeping sound suddenly filled the room that, after today, would no longer be mine. "Stupid piece of..." I grumbled, yanking a pillow out from under my head to smother the alarm with. "Die!" I smacked it off my bedside table with such force that it managed to come unplugged and flew all the way across the room, only stopping when it smacked into my closed bedroom door. Seconds later, my father barged in.

"Lexie, come on it's time to get up now." He glanced down at the alarm, back up at me, then at the alarm once more and shook his head. "I won't even bother asking about that." He said, more to himself than to me.

I sighed and sat up in bed, hugging my black cotton comforter close for warmth in the cold, air-conditioned house. "It's Alex, Dad. Alex, not Lexie."

"Get out of that bed and get dressed now, Alexandra. Your brother and I are ready and we leave in 15 minutes. If you aren't ready by then, I will drag you to the airport as you are. Won't that be embarrassing?" My emerald eyes fell as David exited the room, slamming the door behind him.

I was currently dressed in an oversized black t-shirt with a huge blue duck on the front and pajama bottoms to match. The back of my shirt read, 'Its only fun if you don't get caught.' Whatever that was supposed to mean. It wasn't the pajamas my very best friend, Crisannya, had gotten me last month for Christmas that sent me running to the bathroom, however. It was the way my shoulder-length hair stuck out in all directions, stiff from the bit of hairspray I'd used last night before leaving for Crisannya's going away party. It was the way my dark makeup had smeared all over my face, making me look like one of those creepy dead doll things.

One warm shower, a clean change of clothes and still no enthusiasm about the move later, I felt a bit better and had even managed to completely forget about my nightmare. "Note to self: never _ever_ forget to shower after a party again." I mumbled, running a brush through my onyx tresses. "Talking to yourself again, sis? I keep telling Dad you're mental, but he just won't believe me!"

"Pat_rick!_" I slammed my brush down on the tiled bathroom counter and turned to face that annoying brother of mine. He stood in the doorway, his arms crossed as he watched me with a smirk on his sunburned face.

"Ooh, moody today, are we, Lexie? Chill, sis. I won't tell anyone about the things you screamed in your sleep." Patrick laughed when my face flushed bright red at his mocking, making me wonder what exactly it was I'd screamed or if my moron of a brother was just making things up to embarrass me. When I raised a hand to smack him, he held up his own and gave me an apologetic glance. "Sorry, sorry, my bad. I'll leave you to your psychotic mutterings now. Freak." With that, he dashed away, laughing like a maniac.

"Retard!" I screeched after him as I rolled my eyes, and returned to brushing my hair. Wow, today was gonna be just fantastic.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The airport - packed with adults and screaming, crying children - gave me an instant headache and added to the suck-factor of my day. I stopped against a wall in the middle of a large hallway, pulled a black 3rd generation iPod out of my pocket and shoved the earbuds into my ears, cranking up Evanescencein high hopes of drowning out the annoying airport sounds. A light tap on my shoulder made me jump and I spun to face the stranger. _Patrick._ I glared at my brother, and paused my music. "What?" I snapped, putting a hand on my hip.

"Um, this way, sis." Patrick replied, tilting his head in the direction of our dad, David, who stood at the metal detector machines waiting patiently for his turn in the mile-long line. I rolled my eyes, brushed past Patrick, and returned to listening to my music.

I watched as Dad turned to face us as we approached when he heard Evanescence blasting from my earphones and gave me a disapproving look. I knew he could hear my music from where Patrick and I currently stood, 2 feet away. "Alex," he warned when we stopped behind him. I once again pulled an earphone out of my ear and stared at him expectantly.

"What?" I asked after only a few seconds, obviously irritated when he didn't get the hint I was waiting for him to say something.

"Don't listen to your music that loud, Alexandra. You'll ruin your hearing," As if I hadn't heard _that_ one enough. "Both of you take off your shoes and jackets, turn that damn iPod off, Alex, and put them in the basket. Hurry it up, we don't have all day." I sighed, and reluctantly followed David's instructions, placing all three items in the dull gray plastic basket. Patrick's shoes, jacket, and iPod followed suit.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. A dark, gloomy blur for me, but a blur nonetheless. The only thing I happened to remember was looking out the dirty, fingerprinted airplane windows to say goodbye to my beloved Miami, Florida.

**A/N: This is my very first try at writing a fanfic so it's kinda crappy, forgive me for that. As most of you probably noticed, I'm going back through and changing/editing a few things. First chapter is the only one I've worked on so far, but the rest will be done soon. Any and all constructive criticism would be extremely helpful… thank you! **


	2. Flying Is A Dangerous Thing

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Two:

Flying is a Dangerous Thing

**Disclaimer: Do you seriously think I'd be here right now if I owned Twilight?**

**David's POV**

It had been two and a half long hours since we'd boarded the Seattle-bound plane and the most exciting thing that had happened was… well nothing. Alex sat there staring sulkily out the dirty airplane window, while Patrick attempted to flirt with nearly every female flight attendant that passed by. He tried extra hard to get the attention of a red-headed woman who walked carefully down the scrunched airplane aisle carrying a tray piled high with a mouth-watering plate of breakfast food and a small cup filled to the brim with hot, scalding coffee. All in all it looked – and smelled - very delicious.

My stomach grumbled at me and I realized we hadn't eaten anything before leaving for the airport. "Alex," I whispered, touching her shoulder gently. She flinched and turned in my direction, her beautiful green eyes shooting hateful daggers at me. It seemed that the harder I tried to show her I cared, the harder she pushed me away. My heart sank and I shifted my gaze to stare at a piece of lint on my sleeve, knowing I shouldn't let her treat me like that, but not willing to confront her and suffer the consequences. How pathetic was I to be afraid of my own daughter? You'd think that after everything we've been through lately, things between us wouldn't be so strained.

About four months ago, our lives had begun to fall apart. Evelina, their mother and my wife, and our unborn baby girl had died in a terribly tragic car accident, the house that we'd lived in for the last 25 years had been foreclosed upon, and I wasn't able find a cheap, suitable place for us to rent, so we decided that it was best to move on and leave all the much-too-painful memories behind. This brings us to here, the 7 am nonstop flight to Seattle.

"Sir? Are you alright?" I flinched, slightly startled as the young female voice jerked me out of my trance-like state. I tore my gaze away from the piece of lint and turned to see who had spoken… It was the redhead from earlier who looked to be about 19 standing next to Patrick - he just happened to have the aisle seat – staring at me in confusion. She had bright blue eyes and wore a navy blue vest with the words 'Southwest Airlines' embroidered on the breast pocket as well as long, toned legs that Patrick seemed to be admiring in a not-so-subtle fashion. The high heels she had on were jet black and added at least five inches to her height, making her as tall as the overhead compartments. "I'm sorry, what?" I mumbled, wondering how on earth she could even walk in those shoes.

"I asked if I could get you anything…" She trailed off, and glanced down at my son who was staring at her, a wide grin plastered on his sunburned face. The girl smiled brightly at him then, after a second, looked reluctantly back at me. I elbowed him in the side hard enough to get his attention and gave the young woman an apologetic smile. He muttered something under his breath and slumped in the seat, fixating his green-eyed gaze on his shoes rather than the redhead.

"Oh, no thank you. I'm good. Patrick, Alex, do you want anything?" I asked, letting my gaze come to rest on Alex who, for once, turned away from the window.

"I'm not hungry." She replied monotonously.

"Ok, and for you, hotti-… I mean Sir." The redhead corrected, letting her gaze fall on Patrick again who stared at her for a second before he realized she was talking to him.

"Whatever it was that you carried by about fifteen minutes ago. Thanks, babe." He winked at the girl – whose nametag read 'Hi, I'm Miranda' – and flashed another smile. As soon as those words left Patrick's mouth, my head dropped into my hands and I closed my eyes, willing Patrick to stop talking. The redhead giggled and flushed a light red then turned to go. Patrick yawned and unbuckled his seatbelt. "I ah… I think I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Might be a little while." He said, clutching his stomach. He shot off down the aisle after Miranda, in the opposite direction of the bathrooms and I simply rolled my eyes. That boy was trouble. Big trouble.

Alex waited until he was out of earshot before muttering, "What a stupid brother I have..." I don't think she meant for me to hear, but I did.

"Alex," My voice held a tone of warning. "Keep the comments to yourself, please. I don't appreciate them." Alex flipped around in her seat, glaring at me once more.

"Was I _talking_ to you?"

"Excuse me?" I questioned, raising my eyebrows at her. "Do **not **talk to me like that, Alexandra." She just sighed.

"Can you please leave me alone now?" I watched her, astonished, as she turned back to the window, took her iPod out of her pocket, and cranked the volume.

I stared at the back of my daughter's head, too angry to speak, yet too angry to _not_ say anything. Knowing full well I would regret what I was about to do when she blew up at me, I tugged forcefully on one earphone cord and reached to grab the iPod out of her hand.

"What the HELL!" shouted Alex, snatching them out of my reach. Her reflexes were two times as fast as mine and I had no opportunity to grab the iPod. "Are you trying to piss me off or something? Because you're doing a pretty damn good job of it!" My eyes momentarily grew wide and I mumbled an apology to the many people who'd turned to stare at us when Alex had begun yelling.

"Alex, be quiet and watch your language. There are younger kids aboard this plane. Give me your iPod – now. You are grounded for three weeks and if you let even one measly complaint slip, I'll ground you for three _months_ instead." I held my hand out, waiting for her to return her iPod to me. But Alex had something different in mind. She coiled back and shot those hateful daggers at me once more.

"Fine, ground me for three fucking months if you want, it's not going to make much of a difference! Like I'd want to spend time with any of those small town hicks anyway..." By now, it seemed that every single passenger on the plane wanted to listen to our father-daughter argument that was quickly beginning to escalate into an all out screaming match. I took a deep breath to calm myself and gave Alex a measured glance. "Give me your iPod, Alex."

"NO."

"Give me the damn iPod, now."

"NO!" Alex screeched, shooting up out of her seat. "Do you not get it? I. Am. Not. Handing. Over. My. iPod." She said slowly, carefully enunciating each word. "Do you understand that?" A flight attendant walked past, clearing her throat loudly in warning.

"Sir, please restrain your daughter and lower your voices."

"Alexandra Marie. Give me the fucking iPod," I said in a low, even voice, ignoring the flight attendant. She stared back at me and began to sit down, holding the iPod tightly in her right hand. Her head slowly began to move back and forth.

"No. If you don't want me to continue yelling, then just leave me alone," Alex compromised, her piercing green eyes locked on mine. Hating to back down, but not wanting to continue this embarrassing little match I simply nodded and turned my gaze straight ahead, staring fixatedly at the back of the dark gray polyester chair in front of me.

Only mere seconds later, Patrick returned with a giant grin plastered on his face and ran a hand through his jet black hair as he took a seat. I reached out to gently rub a smudge of bright red lipstick off his cheek just as Miranda strolled over, holding a tray piled high with scrumptious smelling food. She kneeled down next to Patrick and placed the tray on his fold-out table, subtly slipping a small piece of paper under his hand. I pretended not to notice and turned to stare out the window for a moment. Patrick, probably thinking I couldn't see, pulled Miranda close and whispered something to the girl that made her blush a deep blood red. She giggled and whispered a reply, instantly placing a smile on my son's face.

"Thank you very much, Miranda." I said as I gave her a polite nod then looked away again, dropping the hint that it was time for her to disappear.

"Yeah, thanks, Miranda," Patrick agreed, clutching the small piece of paper tightly in his hand. "I'll see you later," he added in a whisper, giving another wink that sent the girl into a fit of nervous giggles as she waltzed away, throwing glances back at Patrick every three or four steps.

Next to me, Patrick was scarfing down his plateful of food like there was no tomorrow – disgusting munching and smacking of the lips included. After another painfully awkward hour had ticked by, and Patrick had given up scanning the aisle for Miranda, I turned my attention to the movie – Parent Trap I think it was – playing on a small screen in front of me. Ten minutes ticked by with still no sign of Miranda, and then fifteen.

Then, I heard Alex whisper a very soft, "She's baaack…" and Patrick gasped in surprise. There, in all her glory, stood Miranda, bearing a bright smile and what seemed to be a fresh layer of makeup caked onto her face.

"Hey cutie," she crooned, putting a manicured nail to Patrick's temple. I inwardly groaned and tried hard to focus on the movie again. "Patrick, I need your help with something…" the redhead whined, batting her eyelashes pathetically at my son. I could see him jump straight up out of his seat and heard him say in a low voice, "Anything." but before I could forbade Patrick to go anywhere they dashed off down the cramped aisle, hand in hand.

For once I had to agree with my daughter. "What a stupid son I have…" I muttered to myself, gritting my teeth in frustration. Apparently Alex had heard me, because in the next instant she turned to me and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, before a small smile cracked across her usually cold, stone-faced features. Then, she turned away from me and began to stare sulkily out the window once more.

**A/N: So I'm hoping that I'm improving the quality of my story instead of making it worse, but since no one has said anything, I have no clue what I should fix or work on… maybe if someone would leave me a review… hint hint :D I'll love you forever! **


	3. Welcome To Forks

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Three:

Welcome to Forks

**Disclaimer: Everything Twilight is owned by the wonderful Stephenie Meyer, I just mess with their heads a little bit…**

**Alex's POV**

"Good afternoon folks, just thought I'd let you all know that we will be landing in Seattle, Washington in precisely twenty-five minutes, so please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts. Our flight attendants will be coming around to help you shortly. Thank you for choosing Southwest Airlines." _Click._ The fake, commercial voice of the pilot quickly faded from the plane cabin and rustling and quiet whispers soon took its place. I groaned, stretched and switched my iPod off, reluctantly stuffing it back into my jeans pocket. There was a gentle snoring sound coming from my left where David sat and when I turned to glance at him, sure enough he was fast asleep. A magazine he had been reading was folded across his chest, and his mouth was open, jaw slack. I chuckled silently to myself, grabbed the magazine and placed it back in its original spot sticking out of the mesh pocket in front of him.

In his sleep, my dad didn't look nearly as stressed out as he did when he was awake and, for once, the frown I'd grown so familiar with in the past couple months was nowhere in sight. In fact, he looked almost… happy, and quite a bit younger than his actual 42-years of age. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, relieved to see him so relaxed even if he wasn't consciously doing it. I forced the smile back and gently nudged him in the ribs.

"Dad." I whispered, watching him for any sign indicating that he was awakening. No response.

"Dad," A little louder this time and still no response.

"Dad, wake up!" I urged, shaking his shoulder roughly. Suddenly, he turned to Patrick (still fast asleep), who was paying no attention whatsoever to the situation, and tightly wrapped his arms around him.

"Mmm… just a few more minutes, honey." I smiled and raised one brow, curious as to what on earth my sleeping father was dreaming about. Patrick peered down at him from out of the corner of his green eyes and attempted to shrug him off, but was unsuccessful.

"So warm… I love you!" David exclaimed, loud enough to receive strange looks from the people sitting across the aisle from us. Then, out of the blue, my dad leaned up towards Patrick, who'd managed to turn his head at just the wrong second, and pecked him on the lips.

"RAPE! RAPE! HE RAPED ME! OMIGOD!" Patrick screamed at the top of his lungs as he pointed at David, jumping straight out of his seat faster than I'd ever seen him move. He then proceeded to spit continuously on the floor and wipe his mouth on the back of his forearms, eyes wide with shock. My body began shaking violently with uncontrollable laughter and I soon lost my ability to breathe. I noticed Patrick giving me a death glare, and turned to stick my tongue out at him, but Dad fell into Patrick's armrest with a loud, startled snort which, in turn, startled me. His eyes flashed open to see a large crowd of people gathered around us. I was still laughing out of control when Dad turned to stare at me, a confused look on his face.

"What's so funny, Alex? What did I miss?" Asked Dad, looking even more baffled now than ever.

"He… and you…" was all I managed to gasp out between bursts of laughter.

"Excuse me, sir? What's going on here?" a shocked, nerdy looking flight attendant – Mark, by the looks of his nametag - rushing to my father's side.

"I was just wondering the same thing…" Replied Dad, staring at me like I was crazy. For a minute I wondered what he was thinking and why he kept looking at me like that, then I realized this was actually the first time I'd really laughed in front of him ever since… Nevermind, I didn't want to think about that.

"It was all a misunderstanding, dude. Sorry." Patrick mumbled sheepishly, obviously not wanting to get himself into any sort of trouble. _Oh. My. God. Patrick is actually embarrassed?! Whaddya know, he actually feels things OTHER than arrogance!_ God, was I loving every second of seeing Patrick embarrassed, and I was never gonna let him live this one down.

It took nearly five minutes for the flight attendants to get everyone settled and back to their seats in preparation for the landing and I'd finally managed to get my laughter under control. Patrick was slouching in his seat, eyeing the exact same magazine dad had been reading earlier and then suddenly snatched it out of the mesh pocket, holding it between himself and Dad like a shield or wall of some sort.

I'd explained to David through another fit of giggles what it was he had done to Patrick, which caused him to turn bright red. He'd tried to apologize to my brother, but Patrick wouldn't even look at him which had made me laugh harder, earning me glares and shushes from all around us. I'd cleared my throat and clenched my lips tight together, fighting once more to keep my laughter contained.

Suddenly, the plane started to tilt to the left and when I turned to look out my window, all I could see was the dark, rainy gray sky, and nothing but small town out of the window across the aisle. I groaned and covered my face with my hands. The gloom had decided to return – lucky me. I kept my eyes shut tight, hoping that this was just another nightmare and I'd wake up before we even landed. However, when I felt the plane stop moving beneath me and managed to pry open my eyes, I was still sitting in the exact same spot I'd been in for the past few hours.

"Come on, Alex. Get your carry-on and let's go." Dad said, standing to stretch and then grab his stuff out of the overhead storage areas. Patrick followed suit, careful not to look at, breathe on, or even touch David. I stood and stretched with a loud sigh, earning more glares from the people who had quickly begun to fill the small aisle. I reached up into the storage compartment, grabbed my stuff, and followed Dad and Patrick as they stole a spot in the line of people heading for the exit.

Half an hour later, we were standing outside on the wide sidewalk of the Seattle Airport in the pouring rain, waiting for a cab to pull up with three available seats. I couldn't exactly get to my iPod at the moment, what with my arms full of suitcases and such so I was stuck listening to the pitter-patter sounds of the rain hitting the concrete, and the chit-chat of passing people. After what seemed like forever, a cab finally pulled up and we rushed to it, throwing as much of our stuff into the trunk as possible. Then, we piled into the car, Patrick and I in the back and David up front, told the driver where we were headed to, and sat in silence as he drove slowly through the airport traffic.

"Four hours, kids. Only four more hours." David muttered to us from the front seat, watching the cars in front of us with a look of fascination on his face. I felt a hard jab on my stomach and turned to glare at Patrick who just grinned and continued poking me.

_Yes, and what a long four hours it's going to be…_ I thought sourly to myself, pulling out my iPod and trying my hardest to ignore the 'thing' that would not stop poking me.

**Jasper's POV**

"Oooooh!" I could hear Alice's squeal from upstairs in the room my two sisters currently shared, but didn't bother to put my _Wuthering Heights _book down to go upstairs and check on her. Instead I asked as if talking to someone right next to me rather than to someone who was a floor above me, "Alice? You okay up there?"

"Omigosh, Jazz, you'll never believe what I just saw! I'm so happy for you!" Came the reply from a pixie-like girl who seemed to suddenly appear at my side. I turned my head to look curiously at Alice who was bouncing up and down on the chair beside me, looking as if she were about to explode from all the excitement I could feel emanating from her. I tried to calm her, hoping to get her settled down enough so she could tell me what she'd seen and so that I could actually understand her.

"Well…" She began, once she'd stopped bouncing so much, her dark topaz eyes sparkling brightly. There was a long pause, and silence filled the medium sized dining room, making me wonder if she'd changed her mind and wasn't going to tell me after all. "Wait, no, if I tell you it'll ruin the surprise." Bingo. I knew it. "Sorry, Jasper!" She called, dashing at vampire speed out of the dining room – I assumed to return to whatever it was she'd been doing upstairs which was most likely sitting on her bed, circling items from tons of different store catalogs that she planned on ordering sometime in the near future. After all, Alice _was_ the shop-a-holic of the family.

Now, sitting in the nearly silent dining room all by myself, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was that Alice had seen. Hadn't she said, "I'm so happy for you?" to me? What could that possibly mean, and _why_ was she happy for me? I'd been pondering these questions for what seemed like hours when suddenly the front door burst open and a deep, booming voice called, "Honeys, we're home!"

**A/N – Rewritten, but not much better than it was in the first place. Sorry bout that. Anyway, I just thought I'd let you guys know that the room arrangements at the Cullen's place is a little different since Jasper and Alice had never fallen in love. Basically it goes like this: Rose and Alice share a room (but of course Rose spends most of her time in Emmett's), Emmett has his own room, and Edward and Jasper share a room because Emmett's 'too obnoxious'. Review, review, review!**


	4. Home Sweet Home

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Four:

Home Sweet Home

**Disclaimer: The wonderful Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight!**

**Alex's POV**

"Here we are, children. Home sweet home." David said, putting some forced enthusiasm into his words. Simultaneously, I sighed and unbuckled, climbing out of the stuffy car to stretch my stiff legs and grab my things out of the back. Patrick scrambled out of the taxi cab and ran to the trunk, anxious to get inside and out of the pouring rain. I stood there for a minute, my teeth chattering as I wasn't used to the feeling of cold rain pelting my tanned skin, and surveyed the place I was going to have to call home.

The house wasn't ancient, but it wasn't exactly what you'd call modern either. It was two stories high, and the outside was painted a hideous puke green color which was peeling badly around all the windows, and the stark-white front door. On either side of the three-step cement staircase that lead to the front door were overgrown garden areas, each separated from the rest of the yard by small stepping stones stuck horizontal in the ground. Enclosing the front yard was a metal chain-link fence that came up to about my waist – no good if you owned an animal that was taller than a full grown Chihuahua. I imagined that the walkway leading to the front door had once been smooth and flat, but now it seemed to be you had to do all you could to keep from tripping over the crumbling cement and dark green, prickly weeds that sprouted through each and every crack. They spotted the rest of the grassy yard as well, which ended about two inches below the three-foot fence. All in all, not the greatest place, but it would have to do. For now, at least. I didn't plan on staying too long.

"Lexie, get a move on. You're going to catch cold if you keep standing there like that." A low, inaudible growl rumbled from my throat and I narrowed my emerald eyes into slits, sticking my tongue out at David's retreating figure as he carefully ventured up the walkway. "Alex." I corrected, turning to the trunk of the taxi to grab my suitcases then follow Patrick as he headed inside after Dad.

The overpowering musty smell that hit me when I entered the house was enough to make me gag and step back out into the pouring rain, dragging in deep breaths of the clean, rain-washed air. Patrick turned and looked at me funny then followed Dad through the house to what had been intended as the living room. I cautiously stepped inside and made sure to breath through only my mouth, even though I was afraid of choking on dust – or some other unidentifiable substance.

"C'mon, let's go see the rooms!" Called an excited Patrick, rushing back to where I stood in the entryway and lightly grabbing my arm. I dropped my stuff on the dusty hardwood floor, careful to avoid the corners filled with mouse droppings, shut the front door with my free hand and was dragged up the stairs by Patrick with David in pursuit.

"Hold on just a minute, Patrick." Dad ordered, skipping the last two steps to catch up with us. "Alex, your room's at the end of the hall and Patrick's is the one next to it. Mine is across the hall from his and the bathroom is to the right of mine." He said, pointing to each of the rooms in turn as he spoke of them. I nodded, silent as Patrick dashed to what had been designated as his room. He threw open the door and disappeared inside, only to reappear in the hallway seconds later with a confused look on his face.

"Um, Dad? Are you sure this is my room?" He asked, taking another step back so Dad could see what he was talking about. I was about to follow when there was a sharp intake of breath and then Dad burst into laughter which, of course, made me instantly curious. I crossed the hallway to Patrick's room within a matter of seconds and peered inside, wondering what made my father laugh so hard and Patrick look so utterly horrified.

My eyes widened with shock, falling pointedly on the hot pink walls (that specifically reminded me of Pepto-Bismol… ick.), and the deep, royal purple shag carpet. I silently began to giggle, but with one glance at Patrick, I erupted into laughter, quickly losing my ability to breathe. David had just started to calm himself, but when I collapsed on the ground from laughing so hard he joined in once more. "Is… there… something… you… aren't… telling… us… dear… brother?" I managed to gasp through giggles that made my sides ache from laughing so hard.

"Guys, this isn't funny!" Patrick whined from the middle of his room, stomping a foot in frustration. "Alex, I think this is your room…" He began with a glance around the room, which immediately shut me up.

"Oh, hell no!" Great. Patrick had just succeeded in putting me in a bad mood once more. Idiotic brother – one, Moody sister – zero. Well, that was about to change. I jumped up from my position on the dusty floor and glared at him, narrowing my eyes into warning slits. "Don't get your hopes up, pretty boy, 'cause I am **not** switching rooms with you." With that I spun on my heel and stalked out of the room, leaving my father and brother to sort out this problem on their own.

With a deep breath, I paused outside the door to my own room and rested my hand gently on the antique-looking doorknob, afraid it might break off at any second if I put too much pressure on it. "Please, no pink. No pink, no pink, no pink." I chanted, crossing my fingers behind my back as I slowly turned the knob, taking a breath to calm anxious butterflies that'd just decided to make their presence known. What I saw when I opened the door was more than enough to calm my nerves, letting a haze of utter satisfaction envelope me.

The room was large, perfectly square and was painted a dark, navy blue with two black-curtained windows (Note to self, get those curtains down and washed ASAP. Moth balls… yuck) – one looked out across the rain-drenched road into a forest across the street and the other gave me a full access view of our neighbor's backyard. Ooh, how exciting. Maybe I'd get to witness some sort of small-town backyard dramatic affair where the husband comes home from work to find his wife outside entwined in another man's arms. Oh god, the jetlag was getting to me.

I shook away those thoughts and looked around the room once more. My carpet, also the same dark navy blue color of the walls, was thick and shaggy, the kind of carpet Patrick had in his room. There were two doors, side-by-side on the far wall of my bedroom. One I assumed was a closet, and the other – dare I get my hopes up – would be a bathroom. Slowly, as if afraid one of the doors would just up and disappear, I tread across the room, my eyes locked on those two doors, one hand outstretched. I turned the handle of the furthermost door and listened with rising anticipation as I heard the small 'click' of the door popping open. I swung it open quickly, revealing a tiny, walk-in closet with the same hardwood floors as the downstairs. A small smile broke across my usually carefully composed poker face, something that had happened a lot in these past few hours, but I let the door fall closed and took a step back, making another mental note to have David or Patrick check for mice. Sure, I might act like tough-shit, but little rodents scared me more than I liked to admit.

"And now, behind door number two…" I muttered, my eyes locked on the second door. I took another step to the door and closed my eyes, pulling it open none-too-gently. _Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom._ With my fingers crossed once more behind my back, I opened my eyes and felt my heartbeat quicken. It took a minute for my brain to register what I was seeing, but once I realized that I _wasn't_ in fact dreaming, a wide grin exploded onto my face.

"Shit!" The furious voice broke through my overwhelming sense of satisfaction, making me jump and slam the door shut with sudden force. I rushed back into the hallway, panic rising in my throat, only to see Patrick doubled over in hysterics, pointing at Dad who stood in the open doorway of his own room. I dashed to his side and peered around the open door, wondering what sort of problem had arisen in my absence.

"Oh…" And with that I erupted into giggles once more. My laughter drew curious glances from Patrick who was now leaning against the far wall for support, and David, standing stock still in his doorway, an expression halfway between anger and disgust on his tan, lined face. What was going on with me? Ever since we'd arrived in Forks it was all I could do to keep a straight face, definitely not like me. Odd…

But still, that didn't stop me from laughing at David's expense. Like the rest of the bedrooms in the house, Dad's carpet was thick and shaggy. The only difference was it's appearance – a bright, bright red coated in a mixture of mouse droppings, mildew and the remnants of dead bugs. Yes, it was extremely sickening and made me gag with repulsion every once in awhile, but… not my room, not my problem. It was one of those turn-your-stomach, lose-your-lunch yet still kind of hysterical moments. Sort of like the feeling you get after riding the Zipper too many times.

The thing that really sent me over the edge, though, was the white walls spotted with mold and the dripping wet ceiling. (A/N: I know, in reality, they wouldn't be allowed to move into a house with a room that looked like this. But it's not reality so ha! It's possible!) Who woulda thought it could rain _indoors_? Apparently, the roof didn't do much good in this part of the house. David turned to me, his face now twisted in anguish, and glared at me sharply. I grinned back at him and covered my mouth with my hand, trying half-heartedly to muffle my giggles, my green eyes wide and shining for the first time in months. It wasn't exactly happiness, per say, it was actually more in the general area of complete amusement.

Despite the revolting stench of mouse droppings, mold, and the gross musty smell that made the rest of the house reek (all combined together… if you could imagine just exactly how bad that is…), I still couldn't stop laughing! My solution: blame it on the jetlag. After a few minutes of being stared down by my father and Patrick, I finally sobered up and was able to calm down.

"It seems you have a slight problem, beloved father." Patrick smirked, gesturing to the opened door before us.

"It also seems I've made a mistake in the room arrangements, dear son." Dad responded after a second of silence. It took a moment for his words to register in my brain, but when they did I began to panic. My eyes got wide, this time with some form of worry, and I was rendered speechless. One glance at Patrick confirmed his reaction was something of the same.

"Alex, your room is mine, Patrick's is yours, and this one is Patrick's." He said, in a low, calm voice. I knew he was preparing himself for a full-out screaming match, but since I was still rendered speechless, all I could do was stand there, opening and closing my mouth repeatedly.

"WHAT?!" Finally, Patrick's voice was the one that shattered the sudden silence and snapped me out of my speechless state.

"HELL NO!" We screeched in unison. Knowing full well there was about to be another big fight, which I really didn't want to experience at the moment, I spun and fled to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. There was no way in hell I was going to switch rooms with anyone! _Ha, _I thought with a grin, _Moody sister – one, Controlling father – zero. Score!_

**Jasper's POV**

"Oh, Jasperrrrrrrr!" I heard his booming voice before I saw him. Then, in the split second it took for me to glance up from the science project I just started due in two days (I'd spent a total of five minutes on it so far. Considering I'd done the same project countless times, this was rather slow for me.), he burst in with a wide, happy grin plastered on his face.

"Yes, Emmett?" I asked, feigning indifference despite the excitement I could feel rolling off him. He took a step inside the room I currently shared with my brother, Edward, and plopped down on the leather couch next to me.

"Eddie and I are going hunting tomorrow. Wanna come?" Immediately, I nodded, knowing that if I didn't feed soon, it would be incredibly hard for me to act like a normal human being when Monday finally came around.

"Ok, 9 am sound good?" Again, I nodded and returned my gaze to the science project I was working on, my mind beginning to drift off once more. I knew Emmett said something else before he disappeared out the door, but I didn't hear him for I was too busy attempting to focus on my project. With a sigh, I picked up the atomic model I was making, stuck another toothpick in a red Styrofoam ball and placed a piece of tape with the word 'neutron' on it. This was gonna take awhile, considering I wasn't even halfway done. But when you have all the time in the world, it isn't exactly a problem.

**A/N: Ok, I know it's taking me awhile to get the story moving, but I've been bogged down with this stupid Final Project of the school year for the past few weeks and homework lately. It's almost over though, and then I'll have more than enough time to work on this story :D. Review, review, review! Thanks! **


	5. New Kid In Town

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Five:

New Kid in Town

_A/N: I owe a __huge__ thanks to .o.O.o.Emmett.Is.Mine.o.O.o. for being my beta and for telling me when something I wrote was a piece of crap :D. This story would be a lot worse than it is right now if not for you, so kudos and a whole bunch of cookies! XD_

_P.S.- I am going through and changing/fixing some parts of the story, but you won't miss anything major if you don't want to reread it. Oh, and can someone please tell me how on earth I check my messages? Thanks!_

**Disclaimer: Twilight and all its fabulous characters belong to the lucky Stephenie Meyer.**

**Alex's POV**

"Good morning, class! How was your weekend?" asked a cheery, bald, blue-eyed man who stood at the front of the room, his slightly wrinkled hands clasped before him. The man whom I would be stuck with for the remainder of my sophomore year as well as, I realized with horror, the rest of my high school life. _Only if we stay long enough,_ I reminded myself, doing my best to ignore the first-day-of-school butterflies currently flitting around in my stomach.

I stood just inside my first period classroom, off to the side of the gray framed doorway, watching as kids rushed in and quickly filled the many desks that lined the room in rows. I had my schedule clutched to my chest as well as a thin, black binder that had never been touched up until this morning when Patrick had burst into my room (I'd fought to keep the room in the back of the house, and had refused to speak or even look at Dad until I got what I wanted. After all, if I was going to be forced to live in this hellhole of a town, I thought I deserved at least one thing I actually wanted.) singing Aqua's 'Barbie Girl' at the top of his lungs until I woke up.

Once the students had all filed in, taken their seats and begun to quiet down, Mr. Baldy (Nickname courtesy of me!) motioned me closer and gestured toward the class.

"This is Alexandra-"

"Alex," I automatically corrected, walking slowly to join him at the front of the room. I could feel the eyes of my soon-to-be classmates boring into me, watching my every move.

"Class, this is _Alex_." He repeated, nodding his head in my direction. "She's from Miami, Florida . Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, Alex?" Mr. Baldy inquired, looking expectantly at me, a small smirk resting upon his slightly-lined face. _The dreaded introduction…_ I thought, my face showing no sign of the dismay I felt.

I stopped at the front of the room and turned to face the rest of the class, fixing my emerald eyes on the far, off-white wall covered with posters about all things English.

"Hey, my name's Alex. I just moved here from Miami, Florida." I paused and glanced at the teacher, then continued on, my green eyes scanning the unfamiliar faces before me. "I'm 15, I live with my brother, Patrick, and my dad, David. My mother, Evelina, and my unborn little sister died in a car crash four months ago." I watched the faces of my fellow students attain a look of pity, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Thank you, Alex, you may take a seat back there beside Isabella," the teacher said when I had fallen silent, pointing towards a slim, brown-eyed girl seated in the middle of the classroom. "Bella, please raise your hand so Alex can find you," he added, giving me a small smile as I headed down the rows of students to where the girl sat. I slid into the empty seat beside her, the cold navy blue plastic feeling foreign against my plain black tee.

"Hi," she whispered, once Mr. Baldy had begun to talk about some book the class had been reading for a few days.

"Hey," I responded, shoving my stuff underneath the desk.

"I'm Bella," she continued, smiling. "Alex, right?" _Is it only me, or did my name not just get said six freaking times?_ I thought to myself, nodding slowly.

"Bella," the teacher snapped, making the girl next to me jump. "I appreciate you attempting to befriend Alex, but I'm trying to teach. Save the chit-chat for after class please, girls? Thanks." Bella blushed and nodded, turning away from me, an apologetic smile gracing her pale, porcelain face. I shrugged it off and attempted to focus on the words coming out of the teacher's mouth, but couldn't.

You know that odd feeling you get when you think someone's watching you? I had that same exact feeling. I tilted my head to the left and scanned that side of the room, noticing nothing out of the ordinary, no eyes boring into the back of my head. The other side confirmed the same, thus leaving me with two options. Either, one, I was just being my usual, paranoid self, or two, I was starting to go crazy. I liked to think it was the former, considering the general idea of going crazy just didn't appeal to me.

With a quiet sigh I slouched down in my seat and forced myself to pay attention, to ignore the paranoia that was making my heart beat louder and my breath come quicker.

By the time class ended, I had a killer stomach ache, my head had developed a heartbeat of its own and I was still extremely paranoid. So much so that I was just about ready to leap out of my seat, drive to the nearest airport, get on the first plane out of Forks and never look back. I was almost out the door when a quiet, feminine voice pulled me back.

"Alex?" I turned to see Bella stand and grab her things off the desk a few feet away from me, the other teens rushing out of the room to their next classes, each throwing me curious glances as they passed.

"I um… Look, I'm sorry for getting you in trouble back there." I forced a smile to appear on my carefully composed poker face and hoped it looked sincere.

"It's fine, no harm done," I reassured her, turning to head out the door once more when I heard a thud and Bella yell, "Ouch!" I stopped and glanced over my shoulder to see her pick her binder up off the ground and untangle her legs from the metal supports of the desk. She snatched a pencil off the floor and zipped her pencil pouch shut, brushing away tiny pieces of trash from the light blue blouse she wore. I don't think she noticed I was still standing there. My feet carried me to a desk in the back row where I sat my stuff down and bent to grab a purple pen that had skittered across the floor when Bella tripped.

"You alright?" I asked, purple pen in hand. She looked up at me from her spot on the ground, an expression halfway between shock and embarrassment making her mouth form an 'o' shape and her cheeks turn a rosy red.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, turning her gaze away from mine. I nodded and turned to head out the door yet again when a cool hand on my arm stopped me. "What's your next class?" Bella asked, her eyes curious. I flinched away from her touch and she jerked her hand back, her brown eyes taking on a look of hurt. It took me a second to realize what I'd just done.

"Sorry about that." Bella nodded and asked again what I had next period. I paused and pulled my schedule out of my binder. "Here ya go, maybe you can tell me where I'm headed now?" She took the paper and scanned it carefully, her facial features twisting into a thoughtful look. After a few seconds, a smile touched her pale pink lips.

"Looks like you're stuck with me for the rest of the day!" Bella exclaimed and handed my class schedule back. "C'mon, let's get to science. We'll be late if we don't hurry!" She glanced out the window, into the sunshine and grinned, looking as if she'd just realized something great. "If Mr. B will let you, you can sit with me today. My partner-" She broke off and her face fell. "-is gone…" An awkward silence settled between us as we headed down the now empty hallway, our shoes clicking on the off-white linoleum tile floor.

"Oh," I muttered, playing with the silver studded black belt slung vertical across my slim figure and threaded through a single loop on my right hip.

Bella and I slipped into science class a minute after the bell rang, hoping our entrance would go unnoticed. But, of course, no such luck.

"Good morning, girls. Care to explain yourselves?" the teacher, Mr. B as Bella had referred to him, questioned, raising a grayed eyebrow.

"I… We-" Bella began, but I cut her off.

"I was having trouble opening my locker and Bella happened to be passing by at the time. She helped me get it open." The well practiced lie came easily, sounding natural, like I really did have problems with my locker.

"Alexandra, is it?" Mr. B asked, his hazel eyes scrutinizing me and my ensemble for the day: Black t-shirt, dark skinny jeans, black studded belt and black low-top converse.

"Alex," I responded, hugging my binder to my chest and trying to ignore the many pairs of eyes staring at me from all around the room.

"I'll put you next to Bella until Edward gets back," Mr. B stated, gesturing to the empty seat beside her. _Who's Edward?_ I thought, my mind drifting back to my previous conversation with Bella. _I'll have to ask her…_I clambered up onto the tall bar-stool, set my things beside me on the cool, metal desktop and pulled out a piece of paper and an unused pencil.

**So who's this Edward guy?**

I tapped Bella on the shoulder without removing my gaze from Mr. B and slid the note across the table to her.

_**Um… I'll explain later. Do you want to eat lunch with me and a couple friends, or are we too 'plain' for your tastes? :)**__** I mean, coming from somewhere like Florida this place must seem a little claustrophobic. At least the rain isn't a surprise, right?**_

I smiled and made a small huffing sound, making the teacher turn from his position at the white board and glare at me. I crossed my arms and placed them over the paper, hiding it from his line of vision, and pretended to give him my full attention. He turned back with a satisfied grin and continued writing on the board.

**Sure, thanks for the invite. And yea, this place is pretty small even compared to Florida . I was surprised to wake up to clear skies today! Thought it would be all rainy and wet again. What is there to do for fun around here anyway?**

My eyes drifted away from the paper and around the room, coming to rest on a nerdy looking boy across the aisle from Bella and me who would not stop staring at me. I gave a sarcastic smile and turned away from him, sliding the note to Bella.

_**No problem :). Anyway,**__** if you want, I can take you up to Port Angeles this week on Wednesday with some friends and show you around. There's really nothing to do in Forks, to be honest with you.**_

I didn't know what a Port Angeles was or where it would be, but I smirked and quickly jotted down a response, covering the paper once more with my binder as Mr. B passed by our table.

**I don't know if I can. I'm grounded. I'm sure I can think of something though, haha. What's your number? I'll give you a call tomorrow around 5 and let you know. **

Bella tore a corner off the paper, quickly jotted down her phone number and slid it across the table towards me. I took the number and shoved it into my back pocket then glanced down at my schedule.

Third period – World History.

I sighed and gathered my things into my arms, staring down the clock at the front of the room, willing the minute hand to move faster. _Three… Two… One…_I counted down in my head, awaiting the bell to signal our dismissal so I could get out of this stuffy classroom.

Beep beep beep.

The kids all shot up out of their seats at once and crowded the skinny doorway, ignoring Mr. B's calls of, "One at a time children. Careful!" I stood and waited impatiently for Bella to grab her stuff so we could head to World History together. We were just about out the door when it happened.

"Hey. I'm Mike. Mike Newton. You must be Alexandra, am I right?" His voice sent uncomfortable shivers up and down my spine and I couldn't help but be disgusted by his I'm-better-than-you strut as he walked up to us, trying to look like what I assumed he thought to be 'sexy'. He stopped, put a big, nerdy grin on and a reached out a sweaty hand in my direction. I turned to Bella, who stood beside me, for help, but she just shrugged and gave me a sympathetic look as if to say, "Sorry, you're on your own." I sighed and turned back to the kid, ignoring his outstretched hand.

"Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy and all… but I really don't give a shit. Just go away." I watched his face fall, a look of defeat coming to rest upon his greasy façade. Then the grin returned, although somewhat deflated, and he let his hand drop back to his side.

"You don't know what you're missing…" he replied suggestively, stepping closer and leaning in towards me. My hands clenched into tight fists, my fingernails biting into my skin. The smell of way too much Axe swirled around me and I coughed and choked, slapping a hand over my mouth and nose. He reached out a hand and placed it delicately on my shoulder and that was it. I snapped.

With a sarcastic smile I placed my hand on his scrawny arm and squeezed. Hard. Mike winced, but didn't pull back. With clenched teeth and daggers shooting from my eyes, I stepped closer to him, my grip still vice-like on his arm. "I suggest you get away from me," I growled, my eyes boring into his. And yet still, he didn't back down.

"You know you want me," he whispered, leaning towards me once more. A feral growl rumbled in the back of my throat and I watched with satisfaction as his eyes grew wide and his arm fell away from my body. I raised a hand to smack him, and once he realized what I was about to do, leapt about 5 feet back. If it weren't for the science teacher quietly watching us from a corner in the front of the room, I would have ripped into him right then. Would have been a good way to get all my sudden anger out. But, seeing as how things didn't work out that way, I was also a little bit disappointed.

"Alex, two minutes," I heard Bella say in a shy voice. I stepped away from Mike and shot him one last death-glare before we dashed out the doorway and all but ran down the hallway to World History.

My next three classes all passed in a flash. First was World History where, to my disappointment, I was forced to sit next to Mike, all the way across the room from Bella. But luckily he didn't do so much as to even glance at me (which was probably good for him since I had the sudden urge to tear the next person who looked at me wrong to shreds). Then came Spanish where I was subjected to and bombarded by questions all period, thanks to the gray haired substitute standing at the front of the room, too timid to say anything. And lastly, PE, where I painfully discovered how bad Bella was at tennis.

Then came lunch. Finally.

By the time the fourth period dismissal bell had rung, Bella and I were already halfway to the cafeteria. My mind had begun to drift while Bella was giving me helpful advice on what foods were partially decent and what foods would make my stomach eat itself because they were so nasty. Then, "Can we just go sit down? I think I'll pass on lunch today…" A smile and a laugh from Bella.

"Sure. But I don't think anyone-" Bella broke off, her brown eyes growing wide – with shock? I shrugged and followed her to a table set apart from the rest where the five most gorgeous teenagers I'd ever seen were seated.

"Alice? What are you all doing here? I thought you guys weren't going to be back until Tuesday. Tomorrow." She glanced out one of the cafeteria's small, rectangular windows that showed the blue skies and bright sun had been replaced by gray clouds and pounding rain, then back at the seated group of teens. The girl she'd addressed as Alice, the short, black-haired one, smiled and stood, walking gracefully to Bella's side.

"Well hello to you too, Bells," she replied, slinging her arms around Bella's neck in a hug, then pulling her to the other side of the table. One of the three guys seated at the table put his muscled arms around her waist and gently pulled her down on the bench next to him, planting a kiss on her forehead. Bella leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, her small arms wrapped tightly around his muscled figure.

"I missed you, Edward…" Bella mumbled, her eyes still closed. The guy beside her smiled and leaned down to whisper something in her ear that made her cheeks turn a bright, bright red. I tore my eyes away, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"I'm Alice. Who're you?" asked the cheerful, pixie-like girl who'd guided Bella to the other side of the table.

"Alex," I replied, suddenly calm and confident.

"Alex is a friend of mine, it's her first day here," Bella added, untangling herself from the arms of the guy she'd called Edward. I nodded and glanced back to Alice. Alice smiled and grabbed my hand, leading me closer to the table. She pulled me down beside her on the bench and introduced the other people sitting at the table, gesturing at them one by one.

"Of course you know Bella." I nodded. Alice gestured to the most gorgeous girl I'd ever seen in my life who sat right across from me. Her blonde tresses fell in layers around her face, drawing attention to the honey-colored eyes the whole group seemed to have. "And these are my siblings. There's Rosalie." The beautiful one. She gave a wave and a cautious smile then wrapped her arms possessively around a guy who looked like he belonged at a New York club as a bodyguard. I discovered I was slightly afraid he would step on me at some point in time if I ever made him mad. _Note to self: Don't make the big guy mad._ I heard a light chuckle come from the Edward guy and wondered what was so funny.

"Emmett." The big guy.

"Edward." Bella's cuddle-toy.

"And Jasper." I looked at Alice, who had a big grin plastered on her face. Then I looked away and at the one she'd introduced as Jasper.

My breath caught in my throat. His shaggy blonde hair swept across his pale forehead and rested on the tips of his lightly colored eyelashes, making my heart skip a beat. His deep topaz eyes locked on mine and I couldn't tear my gaze away. I could lose myself in those eyes. His pale, pink lips looked tantalizing from here, and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to feel their warmth on mine, to have his long, strong arms wrapped around my slender figure.

Time seemed to stand still. I knew everyone's eyes were on me, watching, wondering, and curious. But I couldn't force myself to look away, nor did I want to. Then, I felt something sharp and pointy bounce off the side of my head and the big guy cleared his throat in what sounded like strangled laughter.

_Smack!_

"Emmett, be nice," a sharp, feminine voice commanded. I finally found I was able to look away from Jasper and instead at Emmett, but I could still feel Jasper's eyes on me. Emmett suddenly burst into laughter, his voice a comforting, infectious chuckle.

"Sorry, Alex." Then, he glanced at the one called Rosalie, a childish grin planted firmly on his warm features. "I was just having some fun, Rose," he whined. Rosalie glared at him for a second, then she gave him a seductive look and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. I watched as Emmett's face lit up and he jumped away from the table, pulling Rose with him. He glanced back at the rest of his family who were in hysterics while Bella and I sat there, completely clueless.

"See you after school!" he called as he and Rosalie rushed out of the cafeteria. By the time they'd disappeared from sight and I'd turned back to the rest of the group, they were all deep in conversation. All except Jasper who's eyes still lingered on me. I was half tempted to get up and go to the other side of the table, just to sit next to him, to feel his presence and reassure myself I wasn't hallucinating when Alice turned to talk to me.

"So, Alex…" she began, a friendly smile lighting up her face.

"What's up?"

"You're coming up to Port Angeles with Bella, Rose, Emmett, Edward, Jazz and I on Wednesday, right?" she questioned, her topaz colored eyes shockingly bright. I nodded, marveling at them. Another smile.

"Ok, good." And once more I was left with no one to talk to. So, for the remainder of the lunch period, I sat there silent, bored, and lost in my thoughts. Fifteen minutes passed in a flash.

"Hey, Alex, it's time to go." I turned in the direction of the familiar voice to see Bella standing over me, Edward behind her with his arms wrapped around her stomach. I nodded and rose, gathering my binder off the table. We all headed out of the lunchroom together, and I noticed almost every pair of eyes were glued to us as we left the cafeteria. I trailed slowly behind everyone else, my eyes to the ground as they walked ahead of me, deep in conversation. I could feel a presence next to me, but didn't know the soft, unfamiliar voice.

"Hi," I glanced up to see Jasper walking beside me, almost an arm's length away.

"Hey," I responded, resisting the urge to pull him closer. Maybe it was just me, but he seemed to be a little... tense.

"What's your next class?" he asked as I grabbed my schedule out of my binder. "May I?" I nodded and placed the piece of paper in his outstretched hand. "Debate, huh? Very nice. Looks like you're stuck with me for that class." A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth when those words passed his lips. I didn't know what to say so I just nodded. An awkward silence fell over us as we walked, getting closer and closer to our destination. I glanced ahead to see Bella and Edward hug then part ways, calling a goodbye to Alice, Jasper and I as they left. Alice dropped back and joined us, walking in the middle. We made small talk for a few minutes before she had to leave as well and it was just Jasper and I again.

"Just a warning," he began in a whisper as we slipped into the nearly full classroom, leaning cautiously towards me. "I wouldn't sit near the front if I were you… Mr. Smiths has a tendency to spit when he talks." I nodded and flashed him a thumbs up.

"Thanks for the advice," I whispered in reply, heading for the back of the room. Jasper took a seat behind a scrawny, geeky looking kid, an empty desk to the left of him and windows to the right that showed the slowing rain. My emerald eyes scanned the rows, searching for an empty desk other than the one right beside him and noticed the only empty seats were the ones at the front of the room and one beside, I noticed with disappointment, Mike. With a sigh, I slunk to the desk beside Jasper and sat down, smiling sheepishly at him when he turned to look at me. _Great now he probably thinks I'm gonna turn out to be some sort of creepy stalker chick,_ I thought, sinking down in my seat.

Through the rest of the class period, I did my best to ignore the gorgeous guy to my right and actually tried to focus on what Mr. Smiths was saying. But the one thing my mind kept wandering back to was lunch and what I had felt when I'd first laid eyes on Jasper. And, all at once I was confused about those feelings, scared about what they meant and nervous about Wednesday when I would venture up to Port Angeles with a whole group of beautiful girls and gorgeous guys and suddenly realized how out of place I would look compared to them. _Tough it out, Alex,_ I thought to myself, stealing a glance at Jasper. Then another realization hit. Hard. _He was only talking to me because he felt bad for me. He's way out of my league. God, I'm such and idiot! What on earth was I thinking?!_ And I felt tears begin to well in the corners of my eyes as feelings of hurt and past memories, some good, some bad, came rushing to me. I suddenly felt… worthless.

**A/N: Another chapter finished and it's the longest one so far! I don't have much to say so review, review, review! Bye kids :)**


	6. What Makes You Think That?

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Six:

What Makes You Think That?

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in relation to Twilight, Stephenie Meyer, the lucky lady that she is, does.**

**Alex's POV**

I vaguely remember getting out of World History, waiting for Bella and heading straight to Algebra – 8th period…finally. I just wished the day would end already so I could go home and busy myself with setting up my room, and not have to think about anything. About Jasper, or Bella, or Alice, about the move or how much I missed my friends – yes, thank you, I did have a few friends back there – or about Florida in general. I could go home, blast my music and clean until I could hardly keep my eyes open, much less stay standing for any amount of time. I couldn't even bring myself to act happy, even when Bella came around the corner, grinning.

"What's wrong, Alex?" she questioned upon seeing the distressed expression that contorted my features. Her grin slowly faded. I shrugged and stared at the littered floor, not really in the mood to talk about it.

"Do you not want to talk about it?" I inwardly sighed. _Great, so she can read minds. Anything else I should know?_ I shook my head.

"No, not really," I felt a light touch on my arm and resisted the urge to flinch away. "I'm fine. Just tired of…" _Crap, what am I tired of?_ "…of all the freaking questions." I finished, glancing away. God was I bad at this whole lying thing.

"Oh, yeah. That would get pretty annoying, I guess," she offered, turning towards me with a tentative smile. I nodded and checked the room numbers, searching for Room 213. Bella stopped and peered inside a classroom window, obviously checking for something or someone. I noticed the lack of a room number above the door and was just about to ask what she was doing when she turned back to me.

"Here we are. But beware; Miss Murphy's got a wicked temper." She cautioned, swinging the glossy wooden door open to reveal a room full of teenagers all seated, silent, and facing forward. A sight I wasn't accustomed to whatsoever. We slipped inside and I let the door fall shut with a _click_ that seemed unnaturally loud in the abrupt silence. I followed Bella to the back of the room and slid into a seat beside her, glad she didn't sit at the very front. The absolute silence creeped me out a bit at first, but after a few minutes I started to enjoy it. Four minutes ticked by, and then six.

"Where's the teacher?" I asked in a whisper, leaning towards Bella. It was hard to believe a group of 15-16ish teenagers could stay silent for so long. Just then, the door burst open and banged against the wall, making nearly every student jump. A tall, fair-haired woman charged in and scanned the rows of teenagers with her bright blue eyes, rubbing her fire-truck red lips together and tugging a hand through her knotted hair. A chorus of embarrassed laughter filled the air, mine included. I straightened up in my chair and smoothed down my shirt in an attempt to look nonchalant.

"Good Aftanoon, class." I blinked, a little shocked at the teacher's horrid (and obviously fake) Irish accent, and shot Bella a confused glance. She snatched a sheet of paper out of her binder and scrawled, 'Caution: Fake accent bad mood' in quick, messy letters. I nodded my head in understanding then returned my attention to Miss Murphy who, I noticed with dismay, was staring at me.

"You!" She snapped, which sounded more like 'Joo!' to me. "Come 'ere, I doona know yer name, girl." I hesitated for a split second, suddenly aware of the twenty or so pairs of eyes turned in my direction, and immediately regretted it. "NOW!" Her voice seemed to resonate in the tiny, white-walled classroom and made my ears ring for a few moments after as I stood and approached her. Her sharp blue eyes bore into me, her red-painted lips pursed in disapproval as she glanced over my outfit.

"Yer name?" She ordered, tapping a well-manicured finger on a desktop.

"Alex," I answered for about the fiftieth time today. "Alex Jamison. I just moved here from Florida." The room fell silent again for a painstaking ten seconds in which I began to fidget. Miss Murphy glanced at a paper she held in her hand, a paper that had

**Marie, Alexandra Jamison**

Scrawled across the top in big, bold letters. I gulped. "It says 'ere tha' yer name is Alexandra." I nodded and stole a glance at Bella who flashed me a reassuring smile.

"That would be me. But I go by Alex," I stated, beginning to get impatient with this game of cat-and-mouse. I mean, seriously. If I say my name is Alex, it's Alex.

"Hmmm… very well then. Alex 'tis." She motioned me back to my seat with a tip of her head and began to lecture as I sunk into my chair and slouched down, hoping to ward off any attention headed my way. "That was odd…" I mouthed to Bella. She gave a silent laugh and mouthed back, "Yeah, I bet!" before turning back to the teacher. I smiled and rested my chin on my hands, trying to focus on what Miss M. was writing on the white board. My lids soon grew too heavy for me to hold open any longer so I let them slide shut, telling myself I was only going to rest my eyes – just a few seconds, that's all.

But, of course it was clear when the bell rang half an hour later, I had drifted off.

"Alex, come see me please." Miss Murphy called over the chatter of the exiting students. Bella offered to wait for me outside, but I declined and gave an awkward smile as I headed to the teacher's desk.

"What's up, Miss Murphy?" I asked, pushing my book bag over my shoulder.

"I noticed you nodded off today. Care to explain why?" she responded (thankfully without the accent), tapping her nails on her desk.

_Um, I was tired…?_ But, for some reason, I didn't think that response would fly. So I simply shrugged and replied, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Though I couldn't make any guarantees.

"Very well, then. I will let you off easy with two days of lunch detention. Be thankful." _Oh, yes. Ecstatic._ I nodded and turned to go, but her fingernails dug into my skin and I resisted the urge to smack her hand away. "However, next time it happens, the consequences will be severe," she added in a low voice. I sighed and yanked my arm out of her grip, ignoring the burning sensation that began where her claws had just gripped my forearm.

"Sure. Bye." I didn't look back as I dashed out the door and nearly ran to my locker, eager to escape this prison-like hell. Great, Miss Murphy had just succeeded in worsening my mood. _Moody teenager – zero, Miss Bitch – one. _Sigh_._

Sometimes I just want to curl up in a ball, throw a blanket over my head, squeeze my eyes shut tight, and sleep the day – the week, the month…whatever – away. This just so happened to be one of those times. 8th period had passed by quicker than I'd planned and for that I was thankful, even though I had to say the teacher was quite a… well how can I put this nicely? Ok, a complete nutcase. But the thing that bugged me the most was the fact that I'd never been so messed up over just one guy – not to mention, one I'd known for maybe an hour – and it was really beginning to scare me.

"Alex. Alexxxx… Yoo-hoo. Anybody home?" I sighed and slammed my locker shut, thankful for the distraction, however slight and annoying it may be.

"Yes, Patrick?" I turned to face him, a blank expression on my face. He flashed a grin at me and draped his arm around my shoulder. I half-heartedly shoved him away – or tried to – but he hardly budged.

"Wow, ok. Whose ass do I need to kick?" Patrick asked in the way only a big brother could. I gave him a questioning look and he shrugged. "Well, you didn't scream at me. Or bite my head off… or push me away like you always do. So I figure something must be wrong." He concluded, his green eyes caring and curious. I felt a twinge of guilt at his words, but quickly shoved it away, not wanting to contribute to my shitty mood.

"I'm fine." Geez, how many more times today would I have to say that? I sighed and slung my arm around his waist as we traipsed down the nearly empty hallway together. I knew I was acting funny, and that Patrick would probably be officially weirded out by the time we got outside.

"You sure?" This time he stopped and placed his large hands gently on my shoulders. I had a sudden flashback to Science class and a mischievous grin spread across my face.

"Well… there _is_ someone you can beat the shit out of for me…" I began, tapping a long, slender finger against my chin in thought.

"Alex, you know I'm not here to do your dirty work for you." Patrick reminded me, his eyes searching mine.

"No, no, I know. But listen…" And then I launched into my Mike-encounter tale as we continued on down the hallway and into the parking lot. I was still telling my story by the time we reached Patrick's old, beat up red Chevy. Patrick was listening intently, a furious expression contorting his usually smooth, happy features. Ok, so I _might've_ twisted the tale just a _teeny _tiny little bit. But, that really doesn't matter, now, does it? Right? Right.

I'd just finished relaying my story by the time we pulled into our driveway and it had unsurprisingly begun to pour yet again. I jumped out of the truck, grabbed my bag, shut the door and raced to get inside the house, already soaked to the bone by the time I stepped through the front door, my teeth chattering.

"Hey kids, how was school?" Dad asked as Patrick burst through the door behind me. I'm happy to report that the horrible musty smell had somewhat faded since we'd moved in three days ago. I shrugged out of my sopping black hoodie and tossed it over a hook on our coat rack making a mental note to grab a windbreaker next time we stopped by the store. Patrick threw his jacket on the opposite side and shook out his shaggy black hair, showering me with little droplets.

"Hey!" I wiped the splotches of water off my face and flicked them back at him, then tucked my ebony tresses behind my ears and squeezed, hoping to get some of the rainwater out. Patrick smiled sheepishly and laughed.

"Oops, sorry, sis. My bad." I stuck my tongue out at him then flipped my hair, sending a spray of water in his direction.

"Oh, sorry. Did I get you wet?" I asked my most innocent voice, putting a finger to the corner of my mouth that hung open in mock surprise. He laughed and smiled, his white teeth bright against his now tanned skin. The sunburn had faded since we'd arrived here in Forks.

"Haha, very funny." I grinned and flipped him the bird. "Oops, it slipped." I laughed, my mood suddenly lightened. Patrick stuck his tongue out at me then returned the favor.

"Ahem." I jumped in surprise and whirled around, my heartbeat quickening. "Geez, what am I, chop liver?!" Dad exclaimed, throwing his hands up with an exasperated sigh. "I asked you how school was!"

_Oh…_I groaned and turned to trudge up the stairs with a mumbled, "Great. Wonderful. Just fucking dandy." I was halfway up the staircase when a thought sprang into my mind.

"Hey, Dad, I wanted to know if you minded me going up to Port…" _God, what was it? Port Ang…_I wanted to say Port Angelica for some reason, but knew that wasn't right. _Angeles! Port Angeles, that's what it was._ "…Angeles this Wednesday to… study up on everything I've missed. I don't know what's going on in any of my classes." _Partially because I didn't pay attention at all today, but he doesn't need to know about that._ I crossed my fingers, hoping Dad would say yes. I mean, if I was going to be forced to live here for who knows how long, I might as well find someplace worth hanging around, right?

Dad eyed me suspiciously. "And who do you plan on going with, Alex?" I lifted my hands in an I-don't-know gesture.

"Myself?" _Just say yes already…_Dad fell silent and I could tell he was debating whether or not to let me go. Finally, he took a breath and started to say something.

"Sure, you can go." _Yes! Now, what's the catch?_ "But Patrick is going with you." I smirked at Dad in what he took to be a smile of gratitude and nodded.

"Ok, thanks. I'll be taking the car, by the way!" Then I dashed up the stairs without another word.

Once I was safely in my room, I ran to my nightstand and pulled Bella's number out of my back pocket then grabbed the phone receiver off the hook and punched in the numbers. It rang once, twice, and then a male voice answered, "Swan Residence, Chief Swan speaking." I cleared my throat and asked for Bella. "May I ask who's calling?"

"Oh, yeah, um, it's Alex."

"Aha, you're one of the Jamison kids, am I correct?" My eyebrows rose and I nodded, then remembered Chief Swan, as he'd addressed himself, couldn't see.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I sunk down on my mattress and twirled the phone cord around my finger.

"It's a small town. News travels fast," the Chief replied cheerfully.

"Oh. Well, is Bella there?" There was a pause and I heard a rustling noise in the background. Chief Swan called for Bella, his voice muffled.

"She's coming." Silence. Then more rustling noises and Bella's voice came over the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella, it's Alex. Um, about Wednesday… My dad said I could go, but I have to bring my older brother along. Is that ok?" I climbed off my queen size mattress and paced around my bed, the phone's cradle dangling off my finger.

"Oh, yeah. That's fine." I heard the man's voice in the background saying, "They're here, Bella!"

"Hey, I'm running out the door right now. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" There was another female voice in the background. "Hold on just a sec, Alex."

"Sure."

I could hear Bella and the other girl talking, and for some reason her voice sounded oddly familiar. Seconds later the other girl's voice came over the phone.

"Alex? Hey, it's Alice. Remember, the girl from lunch? I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out. We could come pick you up if you need a ride." I fell silent for a minute, wondering why on earth these people were inviting someone they just met to come hang out. I was getting ready to decline when a sharp knock sounded at my door.

"Hold on for a minute." I didn't even have the chance to ask what my Dad wanted before he was asking me if I wanted to go out to eat tonight. _Oh, please no. Anything but that._ "Maybe some other time." I shouted back, covering the receiver with my hand.

"Alex, we'll be over in ten. Just tell your dad you want to explore the town on foot and we'll meet you around the corner. See ya then!" They hung up before I had the chance to say anything. _Well, that went over nicely. I apparently just made plans…_

I grabbed some change and a hoodie, then crossed my room and opened the door. "I'm gonna go explore the town a little. I'll be back by nine, ok?" I stole a glance at my clock, its neon green numbers glowing bright in the dim light. 4:50 - perfect.

"Alex," _Oh, great. Here comes another lecture._ "I thought I grounded you."

"Daaadddd, please? I just want to explore. I'll call from a payphone or something when I'm headed home." The change jingled in my pants pocket. Eight minutes and counting.

"Well…" He began. I threw my arms around him in an embrace, something I never did anymore, and slipped past him as I pulled the hoodie over my head.

"Thanks, Dad! Love you, bye!" I called, dashing down the stairs and out the front door. I knew I was going to be in _sooo_ much trouble for that when I got back, but I suddenly didn't care. I jogged to the far corner of my street and stopped, panting slightly. Three minutes to go…

Just then a bright yellow Porsche 911 Turbo swung around the corner and screeched to a halt before me. The dark tinted passenger window rolled down and girly laughter spilled out of the car, along with a pounding beat I didn't recognize.

"Hey, Alex!" Bella smiled and clambered into the back, leaving the front seat open for me. I slid into the car, and breathed the leathery smell of the seats as I buckled myself in. Alice flipped the car around in a quick U-ey and squealed off in the direction they came from, nodding her head in time to the music.

"So where exactly are we going?" I asked, gripping the edge of my seat as we sped through the empty streets.

"My house. And you get to meet my parents, Carlisle and Esme!" _Maybe Jasper will be there!_ I suddenly felt excited and nervous at the same time.

"Is Jasper gonna be there?" I asked, voicing my thoughts, thought trying to sound nonchalant. Alice and Bella shared a glance in the rearview mirror and I gulped. _Wait, did I just say that out loud?_ "I mean…um…" Then we all burst into laughter.

"So, I take it you've got a thing for my brother?" Alice asked, raising her eyebrows at me and nudging me with her elbow. I turned a faint shade of red.

"Pshh, n-nah what makes you think that?" I stammered, taking a deep breath. _I can't believe we're actually having this conversation._

"Oh, come on, Alex. We all saw the way you two were staring at each other at lunch," Bella chimed from the backseat, smirking. A grin suddenly exploded on my face as I flushed a deeper red.

"So you aren't denying it," Alice put in after only a few seconds of silence. I laughed lightly and turned to stare out the window, only just noticing how fast we really were going. I glanced at the speedometer and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when my brain registered the three-digit number. _117 miles per hour, I mean JEEZ!_

"Slow down!" I screeched, my heart pounding in my ears. Involuntarily I reached over and grabbed Alice's arm, nearly jumping at the cold, marble-like feel of her skin on mine. She cast me a sideways glance and I sheepishly removed my grasp. "Would you _please_ slow down?" I stared at the speedometer, willing the needle to drop at least into the seventies and watched with satisfaction as it began it's decent. The car remained silent as we traveled over a bridge, Calawah River as Bella pointed out, and then down the long, winding, northbound road. The houses flashed past us, growing bigger, far less, and much further apart. Then there were no houses whatsoever and we were driving on a road flanked on either side by a misty, rain-drenched forest.

"Sorry, I didn't realize how fast I was going. Scared ya, did I?" Alice asked with a smile, her spiky hair forming a dark halo around her head. I nodded and swallowed past the lump in my throat, afraid to look out the window again. Suddenly the car veered to the right on a thin, winding road lined by ancient looking trees and we slowed considerably, bumping along at a reasonable speed.

"Where does this lead?" I asked, confused.

"The house. We're almost there," Bella informed me, leaning forward in her seat as she removed her seatbelt.

"Ah, ok." I smiled at her then turned to the front, eager to see Alice's house. A minute passed in silence. I was just about to ask how much longer the drive would be when we turned a corner and suddenly we were in a miniature field. Or was it a yard? My breath caught in my throat. "Is that…"

"…my house?" Alice finished for me, grinning. I nodded.

"Yes, that would be my house." My jaw dropped and my eyes widened in surprise.

"It's gorgeous," I breathed, mesmerized by the pure whiteness and cleanliness of the house.

I didn't know really what to expect, but I knew it wasn't this. The house was elegant, well-refined, and, more likely than not, nearly a hundred years old. It was painted a subtle, faded white and rose three stories tall, shaped in a perfect rectangle, and very nicely proportioned. I was guessing that the windows and doors were a part of the original structure, but wasn't completely sure. There were six antique looking cedars that sheltered the house with their broad branches. The shadows they cast faded right up next to the house, shading the porch that circled the whole first story. All in all, it was absolutely and positively stunning.

Alice laughed, probably at my expression, and snapped her fingers in front of my face to shake me from my trance-like state. "Thanks! Ok, let's get inside and out of the rain. I want you to meet Carlisle and Esme!" She tugged the keys out of the ignition, shoved them in her pocket, threw open her door and leapt out, then came around to my side and practically dragged me out of the car. Bella clambered over the front seat once more and stumbled as she stood, the tip of her foot catching on the seatbelt. I smiled, remembering earlier today when she tripped over a desk.

"Hurry up, slowpokes!" Alice teased, jumping up and down beside me, her now-soaking black hair plastered to her head. I was glad that they both seemed to have forgotten our previous conversation and hoped neither would bring it up again.

Bella finally untangled herself from the seatbelt, her face beet red. We turned to trudge up the sidewalk when Alice caught my arm and held me back.

"Oh, and just so you know, Alex, I didn't forget. We'll continue our conversation later, but I promise I won't embarrass you tonight. We don't want you leaving a bad impression on Jasper now, do we?" She waggled her eyebrows at me and I couldn't help but giggle even though inside I was thinking, _well shit. She remembered._ Bella's musical laughter joined with mine and soon all three of us were laughing again as we scurried up the walkway, eager to get inside and out of the rain.

Alice pushed the door open to reveal a small, slender woman standing just inside, staring expectantly at the door with a kind smile gracing her pale, beautiful features. I took a moment to examine her. Her caramel-colored hair that cascaded down around her shoulders, framed her heart-shaped face, and the light, casual clothes she wore matched the inside of the house. I assumed she was Esme, since I'd met the rest of the Cullens - other than the one called Carlisle, of course. Bella ushered me inside and I cast her an apologetic glance before turning back marvel at the rest of the house.

The high-beamed ceiling stretched far above my head, giving me the impression it had once been multiple rooms at one point in time. The southern wall had been taken down and replaced entirely by glass that looked out over a wide open yard with a large river that raced behind a clump of trees. Varying shades of white covered the walls, high-beamed ceiling, hardwood floors, and carpets. Over in a corner, on an upraised platform, sat a beautiful grand piano that seemed to glow in the mid-afternoon sunlight.

The woman stepped forward and extended a hand in my direction. I walked forward and grasped her hand, startled once more by the cool of her skin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she offered with a gentle smile, shaking my hand.

"Thank you. You have a beautiful home," I said, returning the smile. She beamed at me then turned to Bella who stood to my left and embraced her in a motherly hug. I felt a twinge of sadness mixed with a little bit of jealousy, wishing more than anything my mom was here with me. She would understand why I was so upset with my father for dragging us all the way to the Olympic Peninsula.

"Hello, Bella, dear. How are you doing?" Bella stepped back from Esme with a smile.

"I'm pretty good, what about you?" She paused and glanced up at the sweeping staircase in the far left corner of the room. "Where's Carlisle?" Just then, Alice entered the room holding two chocolate muffins. She offered one to Bella and the other to me. I smiled and stared at the muffin, then burst out into laughter.

"Alex? Um, what's so funny?" Bella asked. I took one look at her and doubled over in hysterics, clutching my stomach with one hand and pointing at Alice with the other. Alice's topaz eyes went wide.

"What?! Is my hair messed up? Do I have something stuck to my teeth?" She spread her arms wide and examined her outfit. "Oh god, it's my shoes isn't it? I knew they didn't match this outfit!" She turned to rush back out the way she came, through an entryway in the far wall near the piano, but I gasped out her name between bursts of laughter.

"No, no. Alice you're fine." I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself, then gestured to the muffins she held in each hand. "It's a…" I burst out into laughter once more. "…muffin!" Bella took a step back, cocked her head, and raised an eyebrow in my direction. Alice started giggling and stared at the muffins which only made her laugh harder. She rushed to the coffee table in the middle of the room and set them down, then collapsed to the floor on her knees.

"Alex, honey, are you ok? Do we need to get you to a doctor?" Esme asked, stepping forward and putting a caring hand on my shoulder. The thing was, she wasn't kidding. In fact, she was deadserious. I straightened up, clamping my mouth shut tight in order to (attempt) to hold back the laughter, and instead ended up grinning at Esme like an idiot.

"Mhm," I responded, afraid that if I said much more, I would burst into laughter again and end up rolling on the floor…just like Alice was doing at this very second.

Esme's eyes widened. "Yes, we do need to get you a doctor?" I shook my head, giggling. "Oh, yes you're okay." I nodded. Esme put a hand to her chest and smiled wide at me. "Good, you scared me there for a minute."

Bella stood against a wall, her arms crossed around her stomach, and gave me a funny look. I flashed a grin at her and she sent a confused smile back at me. I heard Alice gasping for breath as she finally stopped laughing and I turned to face her, still grinning like an idiot.

We both yelled, "Muffins!" at the top of our lungs and doubled over with laughter once more. Esme shook her head with a smile and turned to trudged up the wide stairs, one hand running gently along the length of the oak banister. Bella rushed after her and took the steps two at a time until she caught up with Esme, casting confused glances back at us every once in awhile.

_Haha, muffins._

**A/N: These chapters just keep getting longer XD! I love it! Anyway, sorry about the wait and thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed my story. I'm already one quarter of the way done with chapter seven! R&R please (and thank you)! Oh, and about the muffins thing… don't ask. :D**


	7. Potential For Disaster

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Seven:

Potential for Disaster

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the owner of all things Twilight. I just threw a little 'crazy' into the mix.**

**Jasper's POV**

"…There had been suspicions that he was the reincarnated Dalai Lama, so his father and mother had sent for some monks. They arrived a few days later, all but one dressed lavishly and bearing bountiful gifts. The eight-year-old boy greeted them all with the respect they deserved, showing them the way into his family's small house. They were served a small meal for their travels, and some tea to go with it. Later that night…"

For a vampire, I was incredibly close to falling asleep. I'd been working on this book report about the Dalai Lama for my World History class since three this afternoon. It was now – I stole a glance at the alarm clock sitting on the end table – 5:15. Why couldn't I concentrate? _Because you can't stop thinking about her…_My mind whispered, nearly making me sigh in irritation. "I know!" I wanted to scream back, "She's all I _can_ think about!" But I knew that would earn me some pretty wicked looks from my 'brother', Edward, who was sitting cross legged on the floor digging through the pile of CD's that sat before him. Not to mention, Emmett and Rose – who were probably in Emmett's room having a moment – would come charging in, wondering what happened. Then I would have to explain myself and _that_ was something I would not look forward to.

Finally, I slammed the book shut and began pacing in front of the black leather couch, glancing out the southern wall – or should I say window – every so often. My thoughts strayed to Alex and a smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I became distracted and forgot to block my thoughts from Edward, my mind-reading brother.

_Black and red lace lingerie that hugged her curves and set off her butterscotch-colored tan. A seductive smile and smothering green eyes, one finger curling to motion me closer. She fell against my body and into my arms, never once breaking eye contact. Her long, slender arms wrapped around me, pulling me ever closer until nothing but a whisper could pass between us. My fingertips skittered lightly from the nape of her neck to the base of her spine, sending tingling sensations all throughout my body. I trailed my hands to her waist and dipped my head – closer, closer, until finally…_

"Jasper? Earth to Jasper!" A hand waved in front of my face and I jumped. "Anybody in there?" Edward joked, lightly tapping the top of my head. I smacked his hand away and sighed, irritated with him for jerking me out of a really good daydream. "Dude, _please_ keep the dirty thoughts to yourself."

"Dude," I said, mimicking Edward. "Stay out of my head!" He shrugged, and then returned to his CD collection. "What're you doing, anyway?" I asked once the room had been silent for a few minutes.

"Reorganizing," he replied with a smile, then turned back to the ever-growing pile of CD's. I sighed and flopped back on the couch, grabbing the Dalai Lama book I'd tossed down in my frustration. _Let's try this again._

Just then, I heard Alice and Bella burst in the front door and a scent I had pretty much memorized floated through the house. I turned back to Edward and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is it her?" I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things, even though I knew I was right. I didn't want to risk running down the stairs like an eager puppy only to make myself look like an idiot. He paused for a moment then nodded. "She's thinking about you, too." If I had a heart still, it would have skipped a beat.

I stood and stepped out into the hallway, then paused, listening to the girls chat with Esme. _Muffins? Wha?_ Confused, I headed down the hallway towards the stairs when Bella and Esme rounded the corner and headed to Carlisle's office. I offered a friendly smile to them both and cocked my eyebrow at Esme then nodded down the stairs. She shrugged and pushed open the office door, pecked Bella on the cheek and stepped inside the office as Bella approached me.

"Hey Jasper," she chirped, "Is Edward in there?" She gestured towards the room I'd just come out of and I nodded.

"Who's downstairs?" I questioned, even though I already knew the answer.

"Alice and Alex," she replied, stepping carefully around me, smiling. _Good,_ I thought returning the smile.

"See you around," Bella called over her shoulder as she stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her. I approached the head of the stairs and looked down into the living room, feeling very giggly and happy all of a sudden.

"Sorry 'bout that, Alice." came Alex's voice.

She was standing with her back to me, her hair cascading down her back like a pitch black sheet. Alice glanced up at me as I descended the stairs and caught my eye. She winked and flashed me the thumbs up, then glanced back to Alex who whirled around, confusion clouding over the giddiness. I gave a tentative smile and waved as I continued down the elegant staircase.

Alice gently elbowed her in the side, pushing her forward a bit. "Hey Jasper," she greeted me, seeming almost shy.

"Hi." Feeling awkward all of a sudden, I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at Alice who grinned.

"Hey, Alex, I'll be right back, ok?" She bounced over to me and pecked me on the cheek then dashed up the stairs – almost too fast to be considered human – and mumbled something about having to talk to Bella. Alex reached out a hand as if to pull her back, then gave up, and let her arm drop to her side.

"So… how are you?" Alex asked after a moment, keeping her eyes averted from mine.

"Good. You?"

"Fine." I wanted to say something more, but didn't know what so I just nodded instead. The next minute or so passed in complete silence.

"Alex?" I began, attempting to make conversation. She glanced up from studying the chipped black nail polish on her fingernails.

"What were you and Alice laughing about?" A confused look crossed her face. "You know, when I came down the stairs? You were both cracking up about something…"

"Oh!" She smiled and met my eyes for the first time tonight. "Alice offered me a muffin. The way she said it just struck me as funny. I dunno, I'm just odd that way I guess. Do you think I'm odd? It doesn't seem you think I'm odd. Wait, you don't really know me. Nevermind, forget I asked." She paused for a minute, her gaze still locked on mine, and then continued. "Sorry, I'm babbling, aren't I? I have a tendency to do that when I get nervous. I mean, I'm not nervous or anything. Okay, maybe just a little bit. But… I think I should probably shut up before I embarrass myself any further." She turned away from me and sank down on the white couch. I followed her over and took a seat on the far end of the couch.

"Do I make you nervous?" Oh, shit. I hadn't meant to say that. _Great, now she probably thinks I'm some conceited bastard, _I thought to myself.

Alex turned to face me again, looking straight into my eyes. "You? Make me nervous? Right, that's crazy talk. I'm only nervous because I just moved here. I'm not nervous because of you. Why would I be nervous around you? I don't even know you. I'd like to. I mean as friends. I'd like to know you as a friend, nothing else."

I smiled at her and scooted closer so that we were an arm's length apart. "You're doing that babbling thing again, Alex." Her eyes widened and she looked away from me, staring intently at the staircase.

"Sorry, Jasper." She heaved a sigh just as I remembered that I hadn't been breathing this entire time, though it seemed as if Alex had failed to notice as well, and that if I was to pass as human, it'd be a good idea to start breathing. So I did.

Then the scent hit me. That rich, lulling smell. Shocked, I looked around to see if Bella had come back in and I just hadn't noticed. But we were still alone.

The _intoxicating_ smell was wafting from the girl sitting just beside me.

In the next instant, my eyes widened and I flung myself back into the corner of the couch furthest from Alex. It took all of my will to keep away from her. My hands clutched the bottom of the cushion I was sitting on and I forced myself to stop breathing so I didn't feel the need to… hurt her. She glanced up at me, her face distorted with confusion, careful not to meet my eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked, concern lacing her voice. I knew if I talked I'd get another whiff of that scent, and then I wouldn't be able to stop myself from killing her right here so I just nodded my head and stared at the coffee table, eyes still wide.

"Hey guys!" My head jerked up and a slow, relieved smile spread across my face. Saved by Alice. "Alex, you ready to go? Bella and I are taking you shopping." She grinned and I turned to see Alex's reaction just as a sudden wave of dread hit me.

"I um… don't have any money. And I have to be home by nine anyway. Maybe next time?" I couldn't help but chuckle at her response which earned me a glare from Alice. Bella appeared next hand in hand with Edward and all three started down the stairs.

"Oh, don't worry about that, Alex, we've got it covered. And it's only 5:30, there's plenty of time for us to go shopping and get you home by nine." _Yeah, if Edward drives._ I thought, sharing a silent laugh with myself. Edward shot a glare at me as him and Bella came to sit between Alex and I on the couch.

"Perhaps we could bring Jasper along too," he suggested, grinning.

"No, I-"

"Yeah! C'mon, Jazz, it'll be fun. I promise." Alice smiled a knowing smile then jumped up from her position by Alex on the arm of the couch and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the front door.

"Alex, Bella, you guys can ride with me, Edward and Jasper can take the Volvo. We'll meet at the mall in Port Angeles, ok?" Alice said, checking to make sure everyone understood and agreed. Alex and Bella groaned simultaneously, earning them both a look from Alice as she ushered the three of them out the door.

"Let's go, Jasper." Alice said with a smile. She waited for me by the open door, tapping her foot with impatience. I followed Edward outside knowing that Alice could get nearly unbearable if kept waiting to shop.

I climbed into the passenger's side of Edward's shiny silver Volvo and shut the door, sitting in silence with my brother as he started the car and pulled out after the girls. Then, we were tearing down the street behind them headed to Port Angeles for a couple hours worth of shopping. I just hoped I'd be able to stay as far away as possible from Alex without being too obvious.

_Don't worry about it, Jasper. Everything's going to be fine._

I cast a glance at Edward who was staring out the windshield, a smile curling the corners of his mouth. Then, I couldn't help but wonder what it was he knew that I didn't…

**A/N: My apologies, everyone. I've been really busy lately with life and all these lovely sudden freaking changes. But I'm happy to say that, for any of you still wanting to read more, I'll be updating like crazy for the next few weeks. Anyway, I have a lot of extra time on my hands now, so expect more chapters ASAP. R&R please and thank you!**


	8. Shopping With Vampires

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Eight:

Shopping With Vampires

**Disclaimer: If you haven't figured it out by now you have major problems… either that or you just don't know how to read. In which case I am obligated to feel sorry for you because you have no clue what I'm saying and you can't read this wonderful, fantastic story I am writing. :D ANYWAY – I don't own Twilight. **

**Alex's POV**

"So, Alex…" Alice began, winking at me in the rearview mirror. I inwardly groaned, knowing full well what was coming my way. "We've established you have a thing for Jasper. Correct?" Oh God, what had I gotten myself into? Sheepishly, I nodded and felt a prickling heat creep up my cheeks as my mind flashbacked to what had happened at the house with Jasper. "Do you want to tell us what, exactly, you like about him?" Alice questioned, turning back to grin at me.

_Well, he's gorgeous, not obnoxious like every other guy I've ever met, he's been pretty friendly, he actually acknowledges me and doesn't treat me like I'm stupid or some sort of disease because of how I dress…_ The list goes on and on. But I shrugged and said, "I don't know." I wasn't quite ready to bare my soul to these girls.

Alice smiled again and nodded, keeping silent for the moment. Then she turned to me, asked Bella to take the wheel, and rested her arm on the center compartment, her shining topaz eyes staring straight into mine.

"Hello," I said, eyeing her warily. "Can I help you?"

She stayed quiet for a second; as if she was considering what she was going to say next. "So you're sure you don't have a single clue as to why you have a crush on my brother?"

"Crush?" My heart skipped a beat. I hadn't had a real crush since the sixth grade when I'd confessed my love to Brian Stryder, the most popular guy in my grade, and had been the laughing stock of the school for the remaining five months of the year. Since that day I'd sworn off 'love' and had decided to keep my feelings to myself and my closest friends. Apparently these two were making themselves part of the 'closest friends' group since they were the ones who had… taken me in, per say.

"Yes, Alex. Crush. It's this feeling you get when-" Alice began, but I cut her off with a nervous laugh and a wave of my hand.

"Hey, I know what a crush is. Can we just call it a slight attraction?" I asked, looking hopeful. Alice and Bella laughed simultaneously.

"Sure, why not." Satisfied, I smiled and hoped the worst of this conversation had passed. However, I knew they were nowhere near close to done making me torture through their questions. Alice grinned at me and sat back up, taking the wheel from Bella who was leaning in an incredibly uncomfortable-looking position across the two front seats.

"So, how strong would you say said 'slight attraction' is?" Alice asked, taking her hands off of the wheel to make air quotes.

I sighed and stared out the tinted window, seeing the forest flash by but not really taking it into account. "I dunno. It's not like I'm emotionally attached to the guy or anything, I mean, I just met him today. Don't you think that'd be a little strange? What with me being new here and all…" I decided it would probably be a good idea to stop talking right then before I babbled my way into a much more embarrassing scenario.

"Touché," Bella said, glancing back at me and smiling.

"Ok, well since you won't tell us why you like Jazz, what do you look for in a guy?" Alice prodded, looking back at me in the rearview mirror. I felt a blush start creeping up the back of my neck and forced myself to think of something else before I started turning sixteen different shades of red.

"And don't say that you don't know…" Bella joked, peering through the small gap between the back of the seat and the headrest. _Damn._

"Um… well he's gotta be friendly, that's a given, but not overly friendly because then it's just cheesy. Preferably intelligent, or at least somewhat smart - I don't want to cart around some dummy because that makes me feel like I'm dating the guy out of pity." I paused, hoping that'd be enough for them. Of course, no such luck.

"Continue," Bella said after I'd taken a breath.

"Well… I'm not picky about looks if that's what you're getting at." I offered, racking my brain for ways to get myself out of this conversation.

"How would you rate Jazz's looks? On a scale of one to ten, one being completely and horrifically hideous?" Alice asked, looking over her shoulder at me as I leaned forward and rested my arms on the center compartment.

"You guys aren't going to let this go until I answer each and every question with a direct answer, are you?" Bella and Alice grinned at each other and responded with a shake of their heads. I sighed. "Gah, I knew it. Um… a nine." My head dropped into my arms and I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the awkward, embarrassing questions I knew were coming.

"A _NINE?!_" Alice practically screeched, making me flinch as the harsh sound pierced my sensitive ears. I picked my head up and shared a confused look with Bella.

"Uh… yes? Isn't that a good thing?" I asked, completely puzzled by now.

"Well yea! I thought you were gonna say like a six or a seven or something, but a _nine_? Wow…" The pixie-like girl trailed. I nodded and thought to myself; _maybe I shouldn't have said that._

"Ok, anyway – continue with your list, please," she said after a moment of awkward silence.

"I don't really have anything else to add to that… but I'll keep you updated." I promised, smiling at the two teens as they gave me looks that clearly said they thought I was lying through my teeth. "I swear on my mother's grave."

"I'll take your word for it…" Bella said. A thoughtful silence fell over the car and I was just about to let myself believe they were done bombarding me with questions.

Then, "So how many guys have you dated?" I groaned and shot Alice a look that said 'you have _got_ to be kidding me'. "Well?" She pushed, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Um… none," I muttered quietly.

"You've never had a boyfriend?" Bella asked, stunned. I shook my head. "Oh. I-I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Anyway, I swore off love in the sixth grade and plan on keeping it that way," I said with a dismissing wave of my hand. "Besides, it'll save me a world of hurt, pain, and confusion." _Which I really don't need right now…or ever._

"Well what if you just so happen to fall in love with a guy? Then what? Are you just going to ignore it and keep on living like nothing happened?" I didn't respond for a minute as I was pondering Alice's question. What would I do?

"Since that hasn't happened yet, I have no clue. But if and when it does, I'll let you know," I replied, straightening up in my seat.

From there on out, there was no more talk of my attraction to Jasper (thankfully) and instead we passed the remaining half hour with cheerful small talk. Every once in awhile Alice would switch on the radio just as one of my favorite songs came on and we would all end up singing along and dancing like idiots as much as we could in the confined space of the Porsche.

But I couldn't help thinking back on Alice's last question to me; what would I do if I ever found love?

An hour and twenty minutes after we left the Cullen's house, we pulled into the parking lot of what I assumed was the Port Angeles mall and fought the boys for the closest parking space. Of course, after some pointless teasing and playful fist-shaking from Alice, Edward finally gave up and drove the few feet to the next aisle and parked his car.

"C'mon, girls. We'll wait for Edward and Jasper over there," Alice said, pointing to the mall entrance as she scrambled out of the car. Bella and I climbed out and rushed to catch up with Alice who was already across the blacktop and on the cemented pathway leading to the entrance. A few seconds later, the boys appeared from behind a row of cars and hurried across the parking lot to get inside just as it started to drizzle.

"Hey guys, how was the ride?" Bella asked in greeting as Edward approached and leaned down to kiss her.

"Good."

"Ok, let's go!" Alice exclaimed, throwing the glass doors open and rushing inside. Jasper and Edward both laughed and shook their heads then stepped through the doors, Bella and I in tow.

"Hope you like to shop," Bella said as we caught up with Alice whose arms were already decorated with a variety of clothing items. She turned and smiled big at me and indicated to one of her arms.

"Go try this outfit on over there," She instructed, pointing to a midnight blue flow-y top, dark straight-leg jeans and a pair of black strappy heels dangling off of her fingers. I sighed and picked up the clothes then headed to the dressing room to try them on. "We'll be waiting right here for you when you're done." Alice called after me. I guessed that meant she wanted to see the final product.

Four minutes later, dressed in Alice's creation, I sighed and stepped out the dressing room door to see Jasper, Edward, and Alice waiting on a bench by the full-body mirrors. I had my arms crossed over my chest to hide the plunging neckline I hadn't noticed before and was studying my shoes intently, trying not to blush. Alice stood and danced over to me, uncrossed my arms and lifted my head up, grinning.

"Gorgeous!" she exclaimed, giving an excited clap after stepping back to survey the outfit. "We're getting it." I opened my mouth to protest but was silenced by a warning look from her as she thrust another outfit into my arms. "Go try that on."

"Wait, where's Bella?" I asked, glancing around. I didn't see her anywhere. Alice nodded her head at the dressing room door next to mine, then hollered, "Come out and show us, Bells!" There was some rustling, then the door opened and Bella's head poked out.

"There is no way I am coming out _there_ dressed like _this_," she snapped, gesturing to herself with one hand.

"Come on, Bella. Please?" Alice begged, stepping towards her friend. The door instantly shut and I could hear almost inaudible grumbling from my position by the dressing room.

"Gimme a sec," Bella called. Alice smiled, then ushered me back into my dressing room.

"Hurry up and change." She smiled at me and returned to her seat between her two brothers. Before I shut the door I stole a peek at Jasper and almost regretted it. Almost. His intense topaz eyes bore into mine making my cheeks flush and my eyes drop, but not before I noticed the corner of his mouth lift into a half grin. Just like that, my heart started pounding. I spun around and let the heavy door fall shut with a bang and placed a hand to my heart to keep it from falling right out of my chest.

_Stop making a fool of yourself, Alex,_ I scolded myself. _He doesn't want you, remember?_ Slowly, slowly, my heartbeat made it back down to a normal level and the heat left my face and ears. I'd be okay as long as I didn't look at him again.

"Alex, Bella's not coming out unless you come out too. We've only got an hour and a half until we need to be out of here, people!" Alice's impatient voice called. I smiled, amused, and then quickly threw on the off-the-shoulder emerald green tee and black mini skirt Alice had shoved into my arms, leaving on the strappy heels from before.

I knocked once on the wall separating Bella and I. "You ready?"

"No," she called back. I smiled.

"Let's go." I pulled open the door and made sure to look only at Alice this time so I wouldn't get all flustered and embarrass myself by accidentally blurting out something I didn't want to blurt out.

"What do you think?" I asked, holding out my arms. It would be so much less painful if we could just breeze through the whole ordeal and be done with it. I would gladly oblige any of Alice's orders if it meant we could be out of here in under an hour.

Alice smiled and nodded approvingly. "I love it! We're getting that one too." The door to Bella's dressing room started to open and we all turned to look as she stepped shyly out, her arms crossed tight over her slender body.

She wore a ruby red halter top that went up around her neck and tied in the back, a pair of black low-slung straight-leg jeans and black strappy heels that looked almost exactly like mine but with a much shorter heel. A small patch of her stomach was visible just below her crossed arms which Alice made her hold out.

"Spin for us, Bells," She ordered cheerfully. Bella groaned and dropped her head back.

"No. No way. I'm going to go and change back into my normal clothes and go sit in the car until we leave." Alice stuck out her bottom lip and started to pout.

"C'mon, Bella. If we cooperate, we'll get out of here sooner," I whispered. Bella went quiet, seeming to ponder what I'd just said. Then she nodded and turned back to the three gorgeous teens.

"Jasper, Edward, close your eyes." Alice immediately perked up and clamped her hands over the boys' eyes. Then Bella sighed and reluctantly spun around.

The only thing covering Bella's back was a string that held the sides of the halter top together and the knot around her neck to keep it up. Instantly, I felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Even I wouldn't want to wear that, much less try it on, and I was nowhere near as shy as Bella obviously was.

"Happy?" Bella grumbled, turning back around as Alice dropped her hands from the boys' eyes.

"Very." Alice grinned and stood, ushering us both back into the dressing rooms. "Hurry and change, then meet us over there," she said, pointing towards another section of the mall. Bella groaned again then glanced over at me.

"Accessories," she informed me, then retreated into the small room to change. I sighed then did the same, hoping this torture would end soon.

"Alice, we have half an hour left," I called, glancing at my watch as Bella and I approached her.

"Where'd Edward and Jasper go?" Bella asked, looking around.

"They got bored and went to the video game store across the street," Alice responded nonchalantly. Bella started mumbling to herself again and I repressed another sigh, instead striking up conversation with Alice.

"So what're we over here for?"

"Accessories, of course!" she exclaimed like it was the most obvious thing in the world… which it was.

"Right. Okay, so what are we getting, then?"

"These." She held out one arm towards me and the other towards Bella. "This matches the blue outfit, and this matches the green one. And this is for you, Bells." I grabbed the black half-jacket I assumed went with the blue shirt, the dangly earrings that sparkled in the light, and an emerald green scarf that obviously went to the green outfit. Honestly, I was surprised there wasn't more. But I was glad too, because I really didn't want her to buy all this stuff for me.

"Do you want me to pay for any of this?" I asked, glancing at my watch again. _Twenty minutes… we can make it._ Alice shook her head and smiled.

"Nope, I've got it covered. Here, Bella, take it," she said, thrusting her other arm towards Bella who reluctantly picked up the black leather jacket. "There. Now, let's go get in line."

"Fifteen minutes and counting, Alice," I said, eyeing the somewhat long line of people ahead of us.

"We're going to make it," Alice said determinedly. "Hi, 'scuse me, do you mind if my friends and I cut in front of you? My cousin's birthday starts in half an hour and we have to be there on time…" She was going to cheat her way through the line? _Ha, I think I'm gonna like being friends with her,_ I thought to myself.

Eight minutes later we were standing at the front of the line getting ready to pay for our things.

"Hi Stacy," Alice said, leaning over the counter to peck the cash register lady on the cheek.

"Well, hello my dear! I haven't seen you since last week; I think that's a new record," Stacy teased with a grin. Alice smiled and handed her a credit card to pay for the things we set on the counter.

"Seven minutes," I said. I would be dead meat if I was even one second late after the stunt I pulled with my dad earlier. Stacy rang up the purchases and gently set each outfit in its own bag.

"See you, darling," Stacy said, handing Alice's credit card and the three bags to her. Alice waved and handed off the bags to us.

Five minutes later we were sitting in the car, ready to pull out of the parking lot when Edward and Jasper approached from across the street. Bella rolled her window down and smiled at Edward who poked his head in through the window.

"Hey, Bella, why don't you ride back with Edward and Jasper can go with Alex and I," Alice suggested. My heart started to pound again and I wondered if they could hear it. _Please say no, please say no,_ I chanted in my head. Of course, things didn't work out the way I wanted them to and soon enough I was sitting in the front seat of Alice's Porsche watching Bella and Edward walk away hand in hand.

The car ride back remained mostly silent except for the occasional moments when Alice would turn on the radio and we'd sing along to whatever song was playing. Once, I even dared to steal a glance at Jasper in the rearview mirror and ended up turning five different shades of red before managing to break away from his gaze.

"See you later, Alex!" Alice called through the open window as I turned to wave goodbye after climbing out of the Porsche.

"Bye, Alex," Jasper added over the squeal of tires as Alice flipped the car around and tore off in the opposite direction. I stole a glance down at my watch and groaned. It was exactly 9:13. I'd be cutting it close.

**A/N: Hello again, everyone! Hope everyone's having a good summer vacation... or whatever. Haha. Sorry about the wait, I've been kind of busy lately. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! Later.**


	9. Anger Issues

A Poison That Leaves No Trace

Chapter Nine:

Anger Issues

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Twilight.**

**David's POV**

"Where the hell is Alex? She was supposed to be back 15 minutes ago…" I said, pulling the curtains in the living room aside to peer out the window. Just then, Patrick wandered into the room, drawing my attention from the window, and gave me a strange look.

"Oh great, now you're talking to yourself too… my family is crazy!" And with that he spun around and walked away. I turned back to the window. _Right…_

"Dad? Patrick? Anybody home?" Alex's voice rang out in the empty entryway as the door slammed shut behind her. I must have missed her when she came up the walkway.

"In here." I crossed my arms and put on my best 'mad face', though I wasn't really mad, and waited patiently for her to appear in the living room doorway. When she did, my eyes went straight to the two fancy looking bags she held and a million questions filled my head. There was nowhere fancy in town that I knew of that wasn't a restaurant, so where on earth could she have possibly been? Then I saw the words scrawled elegantly across the front of the bags and realized she had lied to me. My gaze hardened and returned to her face just as she attempted to hide the bags from view and gave a sheepish smile.

"So, Alex, where ya been?" I asked, feeling the beginnings of anger starting to boil in my chest. There was nothing I hated more than being lied to, and she knew that.

"Well, see… I ran into a few friends when I stopped at the gas station to grab a bottle of water, and they invited me to go shopping with them in Port Angeles… I still had some birthday money left over, so…" She stopped for breath and then continued on, obviously nervous. The inability to lie runs in our family. "Jeez, Dad, I didn't think it would be such a big deal… I'm sorry, I'll call next time…"

"There won't be a next time for quite awhile, Alex. You're grounded and this time I mean it." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself, then held out my hand, eyes still closed. Bad tempers also run in our family. "Cell phone and iPod, please," I said, fighting to keep my voice calm. Alex sighed and handed over the two electronics.

"Ugh, whatever, here. I am _not_ in the mood for this right now." With that, she turned and stormed up the stairs, into her room, and slammed the door shut. _Well, that was a whole lot easier than it should have been… _A few minutes later, what I had come to think of as her 'angry music' came blasting through the house. An annoyed sigh escaped my lips as I trudged wearily up the stairs and into my own room to find a hiding spot for Alex's things until I decided to give them back. _That's another thing I've gotta work on…_

**Alex's POV**

**Dear Mom,**

**I had one of the strangest days of my life today, Forks is a very…interesting place to say the least. But let's save that for another time. **

**I miss you. Well… we all miss you. Dad especially. Sometimes you can just tell by the look in his eyes… I know the accident wasn't all that long ago, but he acts as if it were yesterday. He seems so… sad. Lost, distant, all that stuff. They say time heals wounds, but I worry that the saying doesn't apply in his case. You should see him now, Mom. He's so… different. At least Patrick is still the same old smart-ass Patrick we all know and love. :D **

…**I know it wasn't your fault, but… why'd you have to go and die on us? I wish I'd had the chance to say goodbye… **

**Well, I gotta go now. Lots of homework and such. **

**Love,**

**Alex.**

I yawned and let my pencil fall from my hand, then gently closed the notebook I'd been writing in and placed it in its hiding spot beneath my mattress. My psychiatrist back in Florida had suggested that I try this whole writing letters to my dead mother thing because apparently it helped somehow… I wasn't paying much attention when he was explaining the reasoning behind the process, so I really have no idea how it helps. Usually it just makes me miss her more - but whatever, he's the professional, not me.

Suddenly, there was a knock at my door. "Alex?" It was Patrick. I sighed in irritation, wondering why my family found it so difficult to leave me alone for more than ten, fifteen minutes at a time.

"What?" I called back, turning down my stereo so I could actually hear what my brother had to say.

"Dad wants to know if you're hungry, he's making dinner for him and I." _Now? It's almost 10…_

"Nope, thanks anyway."

"She says she's not hungry, Dad!" Patrick called as he made his way back down the hallway. I could hear him tromp down the stairs, and knew he was in the living room when the TV began to blare and Dad screamed at him to turn it down or turn it off. I couldn't help but roll my eyes as the bickering began. Patrick argued how Dad was just getting too old, and made many references to the phrase "If it's too loud, you're too old" which just made Dad angrier. _What a stupid brother I have._ He just kept antagonizing Dad, even though he knew what would happen next because it always happened when they started fighting. Their voices were faint, but I didn't have to have supersonic hearing to understand what they were saying.

"Why don't you ever give me any goddamn freedom?! I swear, you might as well be a fucking Nazi!" That was Patrick.

"You disrespectful little sonofabitch. You dare treat me like this after all I've done for you? What would your mother think?" Dad.

"Don't you dare bring Mom into this! She isn't even here anymore. Don't go using her as a defense, just because you know I'm right." Patrick again.

And then it happened. I could hear the thud, the shattering of glass as something – probably a cup or a plate – hit the wall.

"Get out of my house. Leave. Now. Get the fuck out, and don't come back!" Dad, screaming at Patrick. I could almost see his face turning bright red and the vein in his forehead beginning to pop out.

"Y'know what? I will, and I'll do it happily. I hate you. I hate how you think one goddamn mistake is like the end of the fucking world. You're a horrible parent." Patrick. I could hear his voice shaking, and I knew something bad was going to happen. I had to at least try and stop it.

I pushed myself away from my door where I had been sitting to eavesdrop, flung open the door, rushed down the hallway, and flew down the stairs.

"Dad-" I began. But it was too late. _Smack._ My movement stopped, halfway down the staircase.

I was shocked. Stunned into speechlessness. I tried to move, but it was almost as if my feet were nailed to the floor. Dad had never hit us, never… at least, not me.

Patrick, his face hurt and unchanging, turned and walked right out the front door, slamming it shut behind him. "Patrick…" I whispered, my heart going out to him. Sure, he might be the biggest pain in the ass to ever exist, but he was my brother and it hurt me to see him being treated like that.

Then all of a sudden, something in me came to life. My anger sparked.

"How could you?" I screamed at the man who called himself my father as I pounded down the stairs. "You asshole! Patrick was right, you're a horrible parent." Without even thinking, I spat in his direction and ran out the door after my brother.

"Patrick!" My voice rang out loudly in the silence of the night, my eyes scanning the darkness frantically for him as I stumbled around blindly. "Pat! Please answer me, where are you? I want to talk to you…"

**A/N:**

**Okay, so I apologize for my extremely long hiatus. And for this extremely short chapter. But it's time to get the story moving again, so this is for starters. Enjoy. :D**


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